Effect on staff revealed in fiery Senate hearing
The drama surrounding the Australian National University has cost the institution nearly $100 million in reputational damage and the impact of cost-cutting has led some staff to self-harm, a heated Senate hearing has been told.
ANU acting vice-chancellor Rebekah Brown said on Friday afternoon that problems at the university, which is grappling with financial problems, staff safety and welfare concerns and leadership chaos, were troubling for donors and international students alike.
“This is very important. We’re still modeling the impact because the impact is still alive,” Brown said.
Chief among the university’s problems was Renew ANU, a controversial plan designed to save $250 million which would cost hundreds of staff their jobs.
The program was designed by former chancellor Julie Bishop and former vice-chancellor Genevieve Bell. A report by the Audit Office found there was “no clear evidence” of the urgent need to save $250 million and the university council was pressing ahead with its plan to cut jobs despite a strong surplus of $89.9 million in 2024.
It is estimated that nine cases of self-harm or suicidal ideation were reported in the College of Arts and Social Sciences (CASS) as the university implemented Renew ANU.
CASS also had 60 per cent of hazard and incident reports investigated by the federal workplace regulator during Renew ANU.
Senator Mehreen Faruqi complained about the “avalanche of ridiculous feedback” from staff after signals from CASS chair Professor Bronwyn Parry told her 36 staff would lose their jobs, according to estimates.
In response, Brown said: “I wish we had done a lot more as an organization… it was such a challenging time for everyone.”
Brown’s own Signal messages were automatically deleted after his settings were changed. Pro-Chancellor Andrew Metcalfe said on Friday that when the university’s chief operating officer investigated, he found it was an administrative error and not designed to circumvent the Freedom of Information process.
Hundreds of people tuned into the parliament’s YouTube channel to watch the beleaguered university front council’s predictions.
All ANU council members attended Friday’s Senate estimates at the request of MPs.
Last month Bishop resigned abruptly, claiming that the regulator’s excessive interference (the ANU and TEQSA had signed a “voluntary undertaking” to effectively allow the regulator veto power over Bishop’s replacement) meant the ANU council could not fulfill its legal obligations.
Metcalfe said on Friday that a series of resignations from the council had left it without financial expertise.
“They chose to leave us,” he said.
Bishop’s resignation came after ANU academic Dr. It ended a period of intense scrutiny of the university’s missteps and gaffes, including Liz Allen accusing Bishop and other senior leaders of bullying her to the point of considering suicide (which they deny), staff voted no confidence in Bishop and Bell, and Bell resigned from his million-dollar post in October.
ANU’s annual report was published on Friday morning and showed the university had a surplus of $117 million for 2025.
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