NEW LEADERSHIP NEEDED AT ANU

The first public hearing of the reconstituted Senate Inquiry into University Governance held today at Parliament House heard extraordinary testimony from staff and students about the impact of Renew ANU.

Among the most grievous allegations was evidence tendered by Dr Liz Allen who told the committee that the Chancellor bullied her so severely at a Council meeting that she contemplated suicide and subsequently miscarried her baby. Dr Allen told the committee that her interaction with the Chancellor “affected me so deeply that on the drive home, I decided to kill myself. I pulled over to write my final goodbyes to my partner and my children.”

ACT Independent Senator David Pocock raised Dr Allen’s complaint with federal Education Minister Jason Clare in June, who referred the matter to the higher education regulator TEQSA.

Senator Pocock said that in light of the allegations made, the Chancellor should step aside. He also repeated his calls to pause any further changes and forced redundancies.

“These are extraordinarily serious and disturbing allegations that have been made against the ANU Chancellor from a respected member of the academic community,” Senator Pocock said.

“I believe that in light of these allegations the Chancellor should step aside until a full and independent investigation has been undertaken. It is also clear that we need an improvement in governance at the university, including through an update of the ANU Act.”

The Committee heard evidence that the Chancellor had reportedly prevented the ANU Council from holding a vote on pausing further changes and forced redundancies under the Renew ANU change management program.

The Committee also heard evidence from a survey being undertaken by a group of staff contemplating potential reforms to the ANU Act to improve governance and the operation of Council. People can participate in that process and contribute submissions to the senate inquiry.

As well as tabling a copy of Dr Allen’s complaint, Senator Pocock also tabled documents provided by a whistleblower of the “University five year financial plan including 2024 budget and 2025-2028 forward estimates.”

That document reveals that at the end of 2023, while experiencing some financial pressure, the ANU was in a sustainable financial position. The ANU told the committee that the financial situation has changed since then. Senator Pocock has asked for the university to provide the most up-to-date financial forecasts.