u/PlumTuckeredOutski

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/9333471/gordon-de-brouwer-anu-chancellors-quiet-revolution-begins/

By Sarah Lansdown, and Steve Evans

Updated August 20 2026 - 10:24am, first published 5:30am

The new chancellor of the Australian National University has acknowledged "governance and behavioral problems and failures".

But Gordon de Brouwer said: "I love the university," adding that it would recover from those failures under his leadership.

"I love the institution, and I respect it, and I listen."

He felt it was important that the people there realised that they "have a voice, and they can really exercise that, but they've got confidence that things are different".

"It's a core part of Canberra. It's a core national institution. And to be part of that recovery and making sure it doesn't happen again, that's an important thing," he said.

"So, it's grounded in the positive, but really recognise the failures that have happened".

He was speaking on his second day in the job, and after recent years of what seemed like perpetual turmoil, with cost and job cuts, resignations and a difficult relationship with government.

It was clear from the interview on the ABC that his style is very different from that of his predecessor, Julie Bishop. Wednesday was Dr de Brouwer's first day with his feet under the chancellor's desk.

On his first day, he said he had spent time talking to people. As a former PhD student at the ANU and in close contact with the university since, he set a different tone from that of his predecessor who sometimes seemed dismissive of some academics. "I really respect the people, you know. I know them," Dr de Brouwer said.

So, it is already clear that he and his predecessor Julie Bishop are chalk and cheese. It's a 180-degree turn from Julie Bishop's red shoes to someone who seems like an "administration and government nerd", as someone who knows the ANU well put it - before adding "which is exactly what we need".

Julie Bishop was a Liberal ex-minister who embraced a business culture; Dr de Brouwer has been immersed in public service for more than three decades.

Their public faces were very different. He is low-key. She was up-front, easy in front of a microphone.

Ms Bishop, you may remember, wore sparkly scarlet heels on the day she announced her resignation from the male-dominated Liberal cabinet in 2018. The flamboyant footwear became a symbol of female empowerment (or the lack thereof). "Many people have told me the colour red should be a symbol of solidarity and empowerment among Australian women. The red shoe emoji has taken on a life of its own," she said afterwards.

Gordon de Brouwer's colour, on the other hand, is dark blue or grey, as no doubt befits the consummate public servant he seems to have been. He has virtually no social media profile. It's true he has an Instagram account - but doesn't post on it to his 75 followers.

Where Julie Bishop was an up-front politician of the right, Dr de Brouwer is an unflamboyant administrator with no discernible political affiliation - though Labor ministers praised him. Finance Minister Katy Gallagher said: "I can't think of a better person to take on this important position at ANU."

When he has appeared on screen, it has often been before parliamentarians. When he resigned as the country's Public Service Commissioner, he broke down in tears while thanking his colleagues at his final Senate estimates committee.

He takes 35 years of experience in public policy to the ANU, as secretary of the Department of the Environment and Energy, and senior roles at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, and Treasury. He has a PhD in economics from the ANU. In 2015, he was awarded the Legion of Honour by the French government, and appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in the King's Birthday Honours this year.

Dr de Brouwer may not be politically aligned but that doesn't mean he's not political. He knows his way up and down the corridors of power - and that will be important as he tries to rebuild a relationship with the government. Last year, trust was so lacking that the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency ordered an assessment of the way the ANU governed itself.

The crises at the university had come like waves. An outside investigation found bullying, sexism and racial discrimination at the College of Health and Medicine. The investigator herself, Christine Nixon, seemed shocked: "It was certainly striking to realise that some supervisors do not yet understand that it is inappropriate to form personal or sexual relationships with students under their supervisory authority."

In the maelstrom of controversy, ANU Council members resigned. Ms Bishop resigned, as did vice-chancellor Genevieve Bell.

On top of all that, the then people in charge, including Julie Bishop, sought to cut spending by $250 million, including $100 million off the wage bill. Jobs were cut with, according to the union, minimal consultation. Some of the best academics left voluntarily.

So what is on Dr de Brouwer's to-do list?

First of all, he will need to rebuild trust with the staff and students. While defending the job cuts in 2024, Julie Bishop claimed that "many members of staff have been part of the inefficiencies that the university is now seeking to address." This comment stung. Dr de Brouwer will need to be open, transparent and plain-speaking with the ANU community in order to win back their trust. This is a highly educated, critically thinking community that will not be easily swayed. The soft skills of leadership and thoughtful communication will need to be deployed.

He will need to take a fine-tooth comb over the university's finances to determine for himself where the problems, if any, truly lie. Students have noticed that they have larger classes and less access to specialists than in previous years. Some of them are skipping meals to scrape by after paying ever-increasing fees for housing and parking. The university needs to balance efficiency without interfering with the student experience.

He will also need to reset the tone of the ANU Council. In the recent past, debate among council members has been stymied on important issues while there appeared to be a divide between the elected members representing staff and students and the members appointed by the education minister. The makeup and responsibilities of the council are likely to change under amendments to the ANU Act the government is expecting to bring to Parliament later this year. With a number of council positions still vacant, Dr de Brouwer has the opportunity to create a more consultative and respectful council.

https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/unis-could-face-2m-fines-for-failing-on-governance-racism-20260817-p60ozi

Maani Truu

Education correspondent

Aug 18, 2026 – 5.00am

Universities could face fines of up to $2 million for failing to meet new governance standards or take action against racism under plans by Education Minister Jason Clare to beef up the higher education regulator’s powers.

Clare will unveil details of a yet-to-be-introduced bill to give the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency more options to act when providers fall short of requirements, in a speech at The Australian Financial Review Higher Education Summit in Sydney on Tuesday.

mong proposed changes he will announce are: an avenue for the regulator to fine organisations that breach the threshold standards, which were recently updated to include a list of governance principles; and a requirement for universities to prevent antisemitism and racism, including by adopting definitions of hate.

As part of the proposed overhaul – which is expected to be introduced to parliament before the end of the year – the maximum civil penalty will be increased from about $40,000 to more than $2 million.

“In the next few months, I will take the next step and introduce legislation to give TEQSA better tools to do its job,” he will tell the summit, according to a preview of the speech seen by the Financial Review.

“The bill will make compliance with the Higher Education Standards Framework a condition of registration. And it will give TEQSA the power to direct a provider to fix non-compliance with these standards at any time.

“It will also give TEQSA stronger powers to consider systemic risks to the sector. This includes racism and governance failures, as well as other new and emerging risks.”

Clare will also announce plans to update the legislation that underpins the Australian National University for the first time in more than two decades, making it an explicit expectation that the institution’s governing council is responsible for maintaining its culture. This follows years of messy scandals and leadership changes.

Under the proposed amendments, Clare will say, the council will be required to have an equal number of elected and ministerially appointed members and these members must have experience in higher education governance or the public service and financial expertise.

It would also be required to have a mix of genders and First Nations representation and include the academic chair as an ex-officio member.

ANU named former public service commissioner Gordon de Brouwer as its new chancellor on Monday, replacing former Liberal deputy leader Julie Bishop, who quit in May months before the end of her term because of what she described as regulatory overreach.

It was the first of a number of much-anticipated permanent appointments that follows an exodus of senior leaders and council members.

TEQSA launched an investigation into ANU last year over concerns about governance and culture, which culminated in the regulator stepping in to steer the recruitment process for a new chancellor.

Bishop and other outgoing council members took aim at the regulator’s intervention in their resignation letters. Council member and former chief justice of Western Australia Wayne Martin accused TEQSA of taking “complete control” of the governing body through “coercive, unlawful threats”.

The episode – which was enabled by a voluntary undertaking entered into by the ANU council – rattled the wider sector.

In a speech earlier this year, Universities Australia chief executive Luke Sheehy described it as a “threshold moment” when the regulator “moved beyond questions of compliance and quality assurance into questions much closer to institutional governance and operational decision-making”.

He also warned that creeping government regulation was pulling providers away from their core mission and that the balance between accountability and overregulation was wrong.

Clare has regularly lamented that the regulator’s powers are insufficient in the face of wide-ranging crises, describing the current options as “a sledgehammer and a feather and not much in-between”.

“Over the last 12 months there has been a lot of consultation on what reform should look like,” Clare will say.

“You have told me sometimes TEQSA is too slow; that requests can duplicate information already provided; or that it can take too long to get an outcome on administrative matters.

“The changes in the bill mean TEQSA will be able to target its resources where they are really needed and reduce the regulatory burden on high-quality providers.”

The minister will say he is open to working out the details of the changes with the sector, which he described as “the great hope for anyone seeking a better world”.

“I know how important you are in making the future our kids will live in,” he will tell the summit.

“That’s why I use speeches like this to give you a sense of direction and what lies ahead.

“But also to engage you. To work out the details with you. To give everyone in this room the respect that you deserve. And to make sure we get it right.”

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/9331957/canberra-times-gordon-de-brouwer-takes-on-anu-crisis-amid-governance-issues/

By The Canberra Times

August 18 2026 - 5:30am

The troubled Australian National University has secured a highly regarded public servant to guide it through a major crisis of governance.

Economist Dr Gordon de Brouwer assumes the role of chancellor this week. He brings invaluable experience to the university council, having served as the Australian Public Service Commissioner and holding senior roles at Treasury, the Reserve Bank, and the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Holding a doctorate in economics, Dr de Brouwer has the skills to stem severe financial losses and his appointment warrants optimism. That said, the staggering scale of the task ahead cannot be overstated.

The ANU has suffered serious reputational, institutional, and fiscal damage over the past decade. It is battered and bruised.

The Auditor-General recently condemned chaotic cost-cutting measures and sudden departures at the highest levels of administration. The field audit noted the university spent $35.9 million to cut salary costs by $74.8 million, an approach it determined was executed without sufficient understanding of the problem or the implementation risks.

In her response before resigning, former chancellor Julie Bishop argued the $250 million savings plan materially improved the financial position, although the audit found it lacked clear evidence.

This dysfunction culminated in a $424,227 termination payout to the former vice-chancellor, who quit after less than two years.

While Dr de Brouwer arrives without the political baggage of his predecessor, he must manage an organisation in disarray. The 2025 annual report exposes an underlying operating deficit of $29.4 million. Furthermore, the university faces market concentration risks. It reaped $296 million in tuition fees from international students, who made up 52 per cent of new enrolments last year alone.

This reliance heavily intersects with foreign relations. The ANU has more research collaborations with China than any other nation, holding 48 active agreements. Conversely, it signed far fewer partnerships with Five Eyes allies. Over the weekend, Foreign Minister Penny Wong intervened, terminating the Joint Science College with Shandong University on national security grounds. It seems remarkable that arrangement proceeded for so long given the previous chancellor was a former foreign minister herself.

Adding to the turbulence, the administration faced intense criticism over its handling of anti-Semitism on campus and pro-Palestinian protests post-October 7.

The university controversially backed out of adopting the definition of anti-Semitism agreed to by the Group of Eight universities. Instead, the academic board endorsed an amended approach, pushing the issue to committees and working groups to address racism in all its forms.

The administration also failed to act regarding adverse findings against former council members following an independent investigation.

Dr de Brouwer faces a monumental rebuilding effort. He must work alongside interim vice-chancellor Rebekah Brown to restore confidence, establish strong governance, and forge a compelling shared strategy.

The national university holds a unique and vital position in Australia, receiving specific federal funding to maintain concentrations of excellence in research and education.

The new chancellor assumes control at a time of profound geopolitical and economic change. He must navigate these complexities, repair fractured relationships with government regulators, and ensure the university remains a trusted national institution.

The path forward requires steady leadership and a complete departure from the destabilising scandals of recent years.

https://www.crikey.com.au/2026/08/17/anu-new-chancellor-gordon-de-brouwer-replacement-julie-bishop/

Julie Hare

Aug 17, 2026

Indiscriminate carnage has followed Australian National University over the past few years. Will a former APS commissioner be able to clear up the mess?

Julie Bishop’s replacement as chancellor of Australian National University has been named: Gordon de Brouwer, a former senior public servant, a Canberra man through and through, and an alumnus of the university.

It’s fair to say that de Brouwer is the polar opposite of his predecessor. He does have an Instagram page, but it has just 75 followers and no posts. A former commissioner of the Australian Public Service, de Brouwer is no show pony.

To have taken on the job, de Brouwer must be very clear about the task at hand. Not only does he have the responsibility of getting ANU back onto a stable footing after the indiscriminate carnage of the past few years — which I’ve written about for Crikey here — but also his first job will be to find five council members whom the ANU community can trust.

That’s no small feat in an institution that was sent to purgatory by a stacked, complicit council and devastatingly incompetent leadership.

A new, frighteningly generic and unspecific strategy was released last week: “ANU by 2030”, published under interim vice-chancellor Professor Rebekah Brown. Thankfully, it leaves Renew ANU — the university’s $250 million cost-cutting program axed last year following controversy, leadership resignations, and a critical federal audit — in the dust.

But whether de Brouwer embraces the learnings (God, I hate that word) of the ANU governance project will be a test of his leadership.

He’s also walking into a new policy environment that will impose government command-and-control over both domestic and international student numbers, as Education Minister Jason Clare ushers in his deeply problematic Opening the Doors of Opportunity Bill, which aims to reshape higher education funding.

This agenda is anti-Group of Eight: the coalition of eight leading, research-intensive Australian universities, of which ANU is a member. It seeks to shift student preferences toward outer-metropolitan and regional universities, ignoring the mountain of evidence that students do — and should — choose what and where they want to study.

This bill is unlikely to be kind to the likes of ANU, an institution populated by “elites”. These are not the sort of kids Clare thinks will benefit from his overly ambitious, some might say fabulist agenda to increase university attainment by 2050, and even by 2030.

Those ambitions are based on untapped demand: a cohort of students, particularly males, who have never seen university as part of their life plans. We have seen how the demand-driven system failed them, and I wonder if Clare’s targets — 55% of school-leavers obtaining a degree — will fail them again.

But back to de Brouwer. 

ANU was taken to its knees by narcissistic incompetence. As a Senate hearing heard a couple of months ago, the reputational cost of that sits around $100 million. Institutions are the sum of their history and present. ANU, once the most highly ranked and esteemed university in the country, is no longer either of those things. But it should be.

ANU should be different. It has a national mandate to be part of the national conversation, to help us become better and wiser people, and to contribute to a better, more functional economy. That is important, and it receives an additional $200 million a year for it.

We need ANU to be a university that meets the very high expectations set down in its founding legislation. 

I, for one, hope that de Brouwer is the person who can get the university back on track.

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/9331346/senior-public-servant-to-succeed-julie-bishop-at-anu/

By Ben McKay

Updated August 17 2026 - 8:48am, first published 8:45am

After a chastening tenure under former politician Julie Bishop, the Australian National University has turned to the steady hand of a retired senior public servant.

Gordon de Brouwer, who completed a PhD in economics at ANU and returned as a professor, said he was "deeply honoured" to take the reins as chancellor of one of Australia's most prestigious universities this week.

Dr de Brouwer was most recently the Public Service Commissioner, but has also served as secretary of the environment department and in senior roles at prime minister and cabinet, Treasury, and the Reserve Bank.

"Dr de Brouwer has the experience, judgement and integrity that ANU needs as we look to the future with confidence," acting Pro-Chancellor Andrew Metcalfe said.

His appointment comes after Ms Bishop ended an acrimonious six-year stint in the role by resigning in May.

The former deputy prime minister's tenure included a $250 milion cost-cutting program which was criticised by auditors, bullying allegations by an ANU council member - denied by Ms Bishop - and a no-confidence vote by unionised staff. 

In June, interim vice chancellor Rebekah Brown told a Senate committee the reputational damage to the institution from Ms Bishop's time was in the order of $100 million.

Dr de Brouwer - who holds an Order of Australia and is also a French knight - becomes the 14th person to hold the role since the university's foundation in 1946.

"I am committed to helping ANU build confidence in its future, with strong governance, a compelling shared strategy and a culture in which our people can do their best work," he said.

Australian Associated Press

https://www.afr.com/policy/health-and-education/anu-to-unveil-replacement-for-julie-bishop-within-days-20260812-p60nrn

Maani Truu

Education correspondent

Aug 14, 2026 – 2.05pm

The Australian National University will unveil who will replace Julie Bishop as chancellor within days, as the acting chief executive revealed the troubled institution’s overarching plan to rebuild trust after years of instability.

In her first media interview this year, interim vice chancellor Rebekah Brown said the ANU’s new 2030 strategy – a high-level statement of priorities, without detailed policies – was focused on strengthening the university’s foundations.

“It’s a really important moment for us because we’re in transition in our governance,” she said.

“And it’s at a time when our incoming chancellor and our forthcoming substantive vice chancellor will have a real role in shaping how we realise the intent of our strategy.”

Among the ambitions laid out in the 23-page document is “good governance”, which the report states will be informed by meaningful staff and student engagement and underpinned by clear communication.

The Canberra institution has been in a state of tumult since 2024, marred by successive scandals involving governance, internal culture and leadership within its 15-person council. Embattled vice chancellor Genevieve Bell resigned in September last year, but Bishop vowed to stay on.

Then in May, the former deputy Liberal leader announced she would step down months before the end of her tenure as chancellor, accusing the higher education watchdog of threats and regulatory overreach over its involvement in the recruitment process for her successor.

Five of the seven external council members also quit, and their positions remain vacant.

The ANU council entered into a voluntary undertaking with the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency earlier this year, which gave the regulator the power to handpick a panel to steer the search for Bishop’s replacement.

In his resignation letter from the council, former chief justice of Western Australia Wayne Martin accused TEQSA of taking “complete control” of the governing body through “coercive, unlawful threats”.

Bishop, in an equally scathing resignation later, said the watchdog’s overreach had “grievously constrained my capacity to discharge my responsibilities and legal duties”.

The panel, led by former Queensland University of Technology vice chancellor Peter Coaldrake, has now made its recommendation to the council, which has signed off on the selection.

Once the new chancellor is in place, Brown said the university will embark on the hiring process for a new vice chancellor.

The “much smaller” council continues to meet several times a week, Brown said. “This has been a very deliberate, careful process, attracting new people to our council.”

She did not answer questions about whether she would apply for the permanent top job once it is advertised.

“It’s a privilege what I’m doing. The interim vice chancellor is not an easy role … let’s get through today, let’s get through our community meeting tomorrow,” she said.

“We need a new chancellor, we need the full complement of our new council, and then that council will decide, together with the community, the sort of leadership that’s needed going forward.”

Neither Bishop nor Bell attended an official ceremony to mark the reopening of ANU’s University House – after it was damaged in a hailstorm five years ago – which coincided with the institution’s 80th anniversary and the launch of the new 2030 strategy on Friday morning.

In June, Brown told a Senate estimates hearing the reputation damage caused by the controversial Renew ANU restructure plan and subsequent leadership turmoil had cost the university “in the order of $100 million” so far.

“We will return a deficit this year, like we did last year, but it will be in relative terms smaller than it was a couple of years ago,” Brown said.

“This is why we have to focus much more on the revenue side of what we do here at ANU, which hasn’t been a focus for a number of years. We have a number of plans in place.”

Brown did not provide further details on those plans when asked. “It’s a day for us to celebrate, it’s a day for us to put the last two years, some of that, behind us and to look forward.”

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-14/anu-plan-to-restore-reputation/107036750

By Tahlia Roy

The Australian National University's (ANU) interim Vice-Chancellor has spoken publicly for the first time this year, seeking to turn the page on controversies that have marred the institution's reputation and funds.

But Professor Rebekah Brown's ANU by 2030 strategy comes as the roles of chancellor and vice-chancellor remain unfilled. And the ANU Council, which is the university's governing body, also has vacancies.

"The last couple of years have been really, really difficult for the ANU," Professor Brown said.

She took on the interim role after former vice-chancellor Genevieve Bell resigned in September last year, following pressure from staff and students to stand down over a controversial $250 million savings plan, which included cutting jobs.

An Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) report later found the ANU's then-leaders had no clear evidence that cuts were needed as part of its now-abandoned savings plan, titled Renew ANU.

Former chancellor Julie Bishop also faced pressure to resign, which she did in May, several months before her term was due to end.

'None of that is true'

When Professor Brown was asked today about previous allegations that she had acted against the former vice-chancellor, Professor Bell, she emphatically denied the claims.

She also said she hoped all council members had put previous grievances to bed.

"Of course, none of that is true," she said about the claims.

"I would like to believe that's all ended and we have left that behind."

She did not rule out having ambitions to permanently take on the role of vice-chancellor.

The ABC understands the vacant roles are unlikely to be filled until after the regulator, Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency, wraps up its probe into the university's governance.

Too few students

The university's new strategy reads as a brand statement that highlights the ANU's uniqueness as the country's only national public university.

"At the moment we're in an environment where we're saturated with information and disinformation across society," she said.

"We know that the next 80 years are not going to look like the first 80 — the way that ideas are used, the ways that knowledge is tested, these are new phenomena."

Professor Brown added that the university's slower and more rigorous processes of researching and testing knowledge were vital to the nation, particularly in the age of artificial intelligence.

She conceded current student numbers were too low and that driving up enrolments was a major goal.

"Our student population size is too small, and we need to increase that," she said.

Professor Brown also said she expected this financial year's bottom line would again reflect a deficit but said it would not dip as far into the red as it had previously.

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/9330218/rebekah-brown-anu-2030-vision-launched-key-deficit-questions-unmet/

By Steve Evans

Updated August 14 2026 - 2:15pm, first published 12:00pm

There doesn't seem to be much pain in Rebekah Brown land. The head of the Australian National University offered a positive view of the future but no mention of any bumpy road getting there.

As she faced the press, Professor Brown, the ANU's interim vice-chancellor, exuded warm words about the future of the "fantastic institution" she now leads - but no details of any pain the recovery from a series of crises might involve.

The only leader of the ANU left standing after both the previous vice-chancellor and chancellor resigned faced the press to talk about the newly-published "ANU by 2030" strategy.

The tough questions bounced at her: How much would she need to take out of the salary bill? Would she be in the running to take over the job permanently? How many jobs would go when AI took over administrative work? When will the ANU's deficit be cleared?

But hard questions didn't get hard answers. She showed all the skill of a dead-bat cricketer determined to get back to the pavilion with her wicket still standing.

"When do you think your deficit will have gone? When will the negative become positive?" she was asked.

"We, of course, hope that's sooner rather than later. There's a lot of structural forces globally that we're planning and working through. But I really would prefer ... Today is a day for our community. It's a day for us to celebrate," she replied, alluding to the 80^(th) birthday of the ANU and the reopening of University House, six years after it was damaged by hail.

It's true that University House is a magnificent mid-century-modern accommodation place - a hotel in all but name - for senior people, complete with Boffins Restaurant and Private Dining Room "offering refined dining in a heritage setting".

But the questions at the press conference concentrated, unhelpfully perhaps, on how the ANU would achieve the sunny uplands outlined in the glossy "ANU by 2030" brochure which Professor Brown was also there to talk about.

"Will that implementation plan include guarantees about staff numbers," a reporter asked. Would the way the ANU was governed be improved?

"Well, our community's been really clear," was the response, "and so is our council about the really important role that our staff, students, and alumni play in our governance. We talk in the strategy around meaningful participation in university and institutional decision-making, and I expect that we will see that throughout all our internal governance structures."

The "ANU by 2030" document says: "Artificial intelligence enabled services will handle the routine reliably and at scale, freeing our people for the wisdom and care that only people can provide. It imagines that "human and machine intelligence work in concert, expanding what we can imagine, discover and achieve together".

So, reporters sought detail from Professor Brown. Would AI replace jobs?

On this, she seemed to be clearish: "No. We're, we're really, really clear that ... We're already using AI at ANU, like universities and other organisations across the country and across the world. But we want to make sure that we're using it well, and we're using it meaningfully, and we're really deliberate in how we use it, and it's really to support our people so that we can spend our time being really strategic with our efforts."

And then came another bouncer: Would she, as the interim vice-chancellor, put in for the job when it was advertised on a long-run basis?

"Oh, look, look, it's a privilege, what I'm doing. Interim vice-chancellor role's not an easy role. It's a privilege. Let's get through today. Let's get through our community meeting tomorrow."

And then a soft ball: "What is the core message behind the 2030 strategy?"

"The core message is that we're actually a fantastic institution. We deliver on our promise, a great research, great education, and really important convening for the nation. We contribute to sovereign nation, national capability building, and the strategy is about investing in that, reinforcing that, our fundamental principles, but looking at how we do that, for a new age, for the next 80 years."

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/9329786/australian-national-university-unveils-anu-by-2030-strategy/

By Steve Evans

Updated August 14 2026 - 8:23am, first published 8:00am

The leadership of the troubled Australian National University has vowed to get the institution back on track by 2030 after suffering a series of serious mishaps which severely dented its reputation.

Its newly-published strategy, "ANU by 2030", admits that mistakes were made but vows that they will be rectified.

The glossy 15-page document also says that artificial intelligence (AI) will take over some of the administrative tasks currently done by human beings.

"Artificial intelligence enabled services will handle the routine reliably and at scale, freeing our people for the wisdom and care that only people can provide," the document says. It imagines a future where "human and machine intelligence work in concert, expanding what we can imagine, discover and achieve together".

The ANU has gone through a series of crises in the last two years since its serious financial difficulties emerged in 2024. In May, its chancellor Julie Bishop resigned. In September last year, the vice-chancellor Genevieve Bell, responsible for the day-to-day leadership of the ANU, resigned. This means that both of the top positions at the ANU remain unfilled on a permanent basis.

Professor Bell was succeeded by interim vice-chancellor Rebekah Brown. In June, she told the Senate education committee that the best estimate of the cost of the reputational damage of the repeated crises was $100 million.

Now, in "ANU by 2030", she vows to put the failures right: "Good governance at ANU will be transparent, inclusive and fiscally responsible," the document under her name says.

"It will deliver community safety; academic freedom; disciplined risk management; and contestable resource allocation. We recognise that we have not always met these standards. Rebuilding trust requires us to be open about where we have fallen short and disciplined in how we improve.

"Our institutional governance will be informed by meaningful staff and student participation and engagement. Institutional decisions will be communicated clearly, with the rationale, evidence and risks openly explained. We will deliver a responsive budgetary model that will sustainably support our purpose."

When Professor Brown took over as interim vice-chancellor, she abandoned Professor Bell's "Renew ANU" which had become highly controversial and vehemently opposed on the ANU campus.

Its aim was to cut $250 million of expenditure by the start of this year, including $100 million off the salary bill. Much of the costs to be cut were through losing staff and merging departments.

Professor Brown has not made clear since how she would get costs down or revenues up, and the new "ANU by 2030" document does not provide any details - it is long on broad aspirations and short on specifics.

But one view is that the deficit was over-stated by the ANU's previous leadership. It may not be as bad as previously touted, on this argument.

Professor Brown has been active in trying to shore up the relationship with the federal government, particularly because the ANU is the only truly national university funded by the Commonwealth.

It has a unique role, receiving a National Institutes Grant to (as it puts it in internal documents) "recognise the role the University plays as a national institute in facilitating key activities that are of national significance" like "maintaining and enhancing distinctive concentrations of excellence in research and education, particularly in areas of national importance to Australia".

The aim may be to signal a new start to government. It was founded 80 years ago under a previous Labor premier.

In "ANU by 2030", Professor Brown states: "Then Prime Minister Chifley's proposition remains as relevant today as it was in 1946: that Australia should develop its own understanding of the world and place that knowledge in service of the public good. We, at ANU, embrace and celebrate our ongoing obligation to achieve this national mission."

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/9321037/morgan-harrington-jason-clare-needs-to-give-teqsa-more-power-over-universities/

By Morgan Harrington

Updated August 2 2026 - 10:29am, first published August 1 2026 - 5:30am

Last month, Education Minister Jason Clare introduced new regulations that should help stop some of the rot eating away at Australia's universities.

It says a lot about the current state of universities in Australia that these new regulations will require them to "oversee" risks to their social licence.

Take, for example, the merger of the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia. In 2023, the two announced that they would join to become Adelaide University. But the councils of both unis refused to release the business case behind their decision, even to a South Australian parliamentary inquiry.

South Australian news outlet InDaily did manage to get a copy of the relevant minutes through a freedom-of-information request. Although the key information about the merger was redacted, the minutes did reveal that a member of the University of Adelaide's council, David Hill, voted in favour of the merger. Hill was also the chief executive of Deloitte Asia-Pacific at the time, and a few months later Deloitte was named as the "integration and transformation partner" contracted to manage the merger.

Both Deloitte and the University of Adelaide rejected any notion that this constituted a conflict of interest. But the revised framework makes it explicit that university councils are required to take responsibility for managing conflicts of interest. Amazingly, up until now, academics who mark student theses were held to stricter conflict-of-interest standards than university council members.

Conflicts of interest have become a problem across the sector.

Earlier this year, allegations came to light that former Australian National University (ANU) vice-chancellor Genevive Bell overruled the advice of the university's central promotions committee to make her friend a tenured professor, even though he was unqualified. Meanwhile, the University of Wollongong (UoW) is being investigated by the NSW government's Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC).

The UoW governing council stands accused of improperly awarding contracts to businesses that former chancellor Michael Still has interests in. ICAC is also determining if Still properly managed a conflict of interest that arose when John Dewar served as UoW vice-chancellor whilst maintaining position with the consultancy firm KordaMentha, who were hired by UoW to advise on a restructure that resulted in over 200 losses.

The cosy relationship between universities and consultancy firms is the focus of another specific reform to the framework. Universities will now be required to publish "consultancy spending, its purpose, value and justifications." Earlier this year, analysis conducted for the Four Corners program found that universities spent $1.8 billion on external consultants and contractors in one year.

This included the University of Technology Sydney, which paid KPMG $7 million for advice on a restructure that saw over 100 jobs cut, and the ANU, which spent at least $1.2 million to the Nous Group for advice about its doomed "Renew ANU" restructure. An investigation by no less than the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) found that the ANU committed a further $2 million to Nous, but even they couldn't find an invoice for it.

The revised framework also means that Australians can now expect more specific information about how much top executives at the nation's universities are paid. Perhaps the minister wouldn't have been compelled to force this upon universities if pay inequality wasn't such a big problem in the tertiary education sector. Vice-chancellors are paid more than seven times as much as lecturers and teachers.

The new regulations introduce basic good governance measures, which is a step towards the root and branch reform needed at Australia's universities. But without proper enforcement powers, Australia's higher education regulator can't do much. In its submission to last year's Commonwealth parliamentary inquiry into university governance, the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) said its ability to enforce the framework was limited, and asked for greater powers. Minister Clare has acknowledged that TEQSA needs more power - let's hope that granting it is his next move.

• Dr Morgan Harrington is a research manager at The Australia Institute.

Edit: Messed up the cut-and-paste the first time

https://www.crikey.com.au/2026/07/14/university-of-wollongong-icac-vice-chancellor-anu-flinders-adelaide-tasmania/

Julie Hare

July 14, 2026

Nothing is stopping our well-paid university leaders from having second jobs — even with organisations that benefit from the university. Is this the kind of industry we want?

Over the past few years, it has become clear that many senior executives and heads of governance throughout Australia’s university sector suffer from moral blindness. Take the cast of self-serving characters from the University of Wollongong (UoW) who appeared before the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption in recent weeks.

John Dewar has accepted that when he took on the gig of interim vice-chancellor at UoW, which paid $1 million a year, he wanted the appointment to benefit the consulting firm he also worked for, KordaMentha. The firm didn’t pay Dewar during his eight-month tenure at the university, but he had a rostered day off every two weeks to stay in touch with KordaMentha — which ultimately gained $3.8 million in contracts at UoW.

Since when has it been okay for a vice-chancellor to hold a second job? Well, it’s more common than you think.

Genevieve Bell kept a part-time paid position at technology giant Intel after she arrived at the Australian National University in 2017, as well as during the first 11 months of her time as vice-chancellor in 2024. During this latter period, she earned $70,000 for 24 hours of work for Intel — that’s $3,000 an hour. This came on top of her $1.46 million salary at ANU.

Bell, meanwhile, was also the architect of a $250 million cost-cutting plan called Renew ANU in 2024. With her thinking split between two organisations, was her mind and efforts ever fully on the job? Bell resigned less than two years into her five-year term, and Renew ANU has since been abandoned, with an audit report determining that the university council should have considered additional options.

Meanwhile, there’s Rufus Black, the head of the University of Tasmania who is also on the board of Deloitte Australia, for which he earns around $150,000. Sure, he tried to donate the money back to the university and it was rejected by the governing body. But it is puzzling why the university’s council thought it was a good idea for Black to take on the board role at Deloitte, considering the company’s ongoing contracts with the university that are worth millions.

Flinders University vice-chancellor Colin Stirling earned just shy of $1.5 million in 2024 (up from $1.3 million a year earlier), and has also pocketed over $700,000 since joining the board of IDP Education in 2018. Stirling, who runs a university ranked 374th in the world, earns about $200,000 more than Oxford vice-chancellor Irene Tracey, who doesn’t have a second job. Oxford is among the finest institutions in the world.

Then, in South Australia, there’s David Lloyd, who reaped an epic $3.1 million after his institution, the University of South Australia, merged with the University of Adelaide in 2025. It included a “merger-related termination payment” of $1.1 million. As one very senior member of the university sector told me: “It’s obscene”.

All of this, and more, is ticked off by feckless chancellors who seem incapable of reading the room. There have been four government inquiries into failings of university governance, and the only people who seem to think there is no problem are the chancellors themselves. Meanwhile, they sign off on self-serving deals for vice-chancellors that seem blind to plain old common sense and reputation-damaging public optics.

All this is even more appalling when viewed in the light of $160 million in underpayments to casual and contract staff across the sector since 2014, with some estimates placing that figure closer to $300 million. Meanwhile, universities keep slashing jobs despite their robust financial health: ANU shed around 1,000 jobs in 2025; Wollongong cut almost 300 positions while Dewar was running the shop; and at Flinders, Stirling has embarked on at least three job-cutting exercises since he became boss in 2015 — while his salary rises like an overexcited sponge cake.

Amid all of this, non-disclosure agreements have become the norm, meaning we will never know the true extent of the decision-making that is running the university sector into the ground.

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/9309829/anu-accused-of-failing-jewish-students-on-anti-semitism/

By Dana Daniel

July 14 2026 - 5:30am

A former student says the Australian National University's handling of anti-Semitism on campus cast a shadow over her years studying in Canberra.

Liat told the royal commission into anti-Semitism that the ANU had pursued "optics over substance" and failed to protect Jewish students being subjected to hate.

"I should be able to look back on those years, which are some of the most formative of one's young adult life ... as beautiful periods of growth and intellectual discovery and fun," she said.

"And, for the most part, I can't do that."

She said the university "cared far more about how it was portrayed, that it was tackling racism as best as it could over actually tackling the racism on campus."

Liat, who is a descendant of Holocaust survivors, said she had been called a baby killer and a genocide supporter because she was Jewish, and that the university was slow to act on concerns.

"I spent the majority of my university education in an environment that was characterised by people justifying and excusing, and sometimes encouraging the murder, the rape, and the brutalisation of people on the other side of the world and here - because those people happen to be Jewish," she said.

"I navigated the hostility, the isolation, the institutional failure, as I was trying to study, as I was trying to make friends and go out to lay the foundations of a career and maintain my integrity and my identity as a Jewish person in Australia, in a setting that frequently made that difficult."

In 2024, Jewish students at the ANU reported being taunted with anti-Semitic slogans when they held a counter-protest against a pro-Palestinian tent encampment in the heart of the campus.

The university investigated an allegation of a Hitler gesture being used at a student association meeting the same year, but found it had not occured.

Liat, whose last name is subject to a suppression order, told the hearing the ANU had framed its response to anti-Semitism in its interactions with Jewish students on campus "in very generic terms, offering 'support to those feeling vulnerable' without specifying the types of students that were feeling vulnerable."

She accused the university of a "pattern of deflection" when incidents were reported.

"In my experience, the university either did nothing, unfortunately, or responded so late that the response really protected no one and corrected nothing," she said.

"Jewish students at the ANU learned that reporting an incident cost them a lot of effort, retraumatised them from the incident, and returned them in most cases silence or inaction, which meant they stopped bothering."

The royal commission's hearing in Melbourne this week centres on the higher education sector and universities are expected to appear later in the week.

Education Minister Jason Clare on Monday announced that universities would be required to adopt definitions on anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and racism towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from July 1, 2027.

The ANU has declined to adopt the same definition as Universities Australia, of which it is a member, which says that criticism of the Israeli government is not necessarily anti-Semitic, but it can be when "grounded in harmful tropes, stereotypes or assumptions and when it calls for the elimination of the state of Israel or all Jews," or when it holds Jewish individuals responsible for Israel's actions.

It adopted part of the Universities Australia definition, which says anti-Semitism is "prejudice, harassment, exclusion, vilification, intimidation or violence that impedes Jews' ability to participate as equals in educational, political, religious, cultural, economic or social life" and gives examples.

The Albanese government has opted not to impose a definition on universities, leaving them to decide, although Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's working definition advocated by Anti-Semitism Envoy Jillian Segel.

Some critics argue this is too broad and could result in legitimate criticism of the state of Israel being labelled anti-Semitism.

The IHRA says anti-Semitism is "a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews."

"Manifestations might include the targeting of the state of Israel, conceived as a Jewish collectivity," it says.

"However, criticism of Israel similar to that levelled against any other country cannot be regarded as anti-Semitic."

An ANU spokesperson said the university was "committed to fostering a safe, respectful and inclusive environment for all members of our community, while remaining a place where complex and difficult conversations can occur without fear, hatred or harm."

They said the university "rejects anti-Semitism and all forms of racism in the strongest possible terms."

"Anti-Semitism, racism and all forms of vilification are abhorrent and have no place at ANU or in Australian society," the spokesperson said.

The university would "continue to engage constructively with the Australian government and the higher education sector as the new anti-racism standard is introduced."

"ANU remains committed to continued improvement ensuring our policies and practices meet our obligations and community expectations to provide a safe, respectful and inclusive university for all."

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/9295472/anu-sensitive-data-exposed-to-all-staff-and-students-for-months/

By Kaab Qureshi, Paris Chia, Lanie Tindale

Updated June 22 2026 - 12:16pm, first published 11:30am

Serious privacy concerns remain unresolved six months after the ANU was told that extremely sensitive information, including harassment and bullying disclosures, was viewable by all staff and students.

In December 2025, student reporters told the university's cyber security office that any staff or student logged into Microsoft 365 could access droves of sensitive information.

The reporters accessed spreadsheets outlining sexual assault, sexual harassment and bullying disclosures that included full names, contact details and allegations made by complainants by searching keywords.

They also sighted incident reports, student assignments, marking comments, security briefs, operation manuals and resumes. The reporters informed relevant departments of the breach so the sharing settings would be made private.

Screenshotted documents shared to The Canberra Times include a work health and safety incident report, including the full name of the employee who made the report, and a security brief preparing for a visit by then-Moroccan ambassador to Australia Karim Medrek.

Documents from the Fenner school of environment and society, such as a list of staff details including full addresses, personal numbers and emergency contact details, were publicly available as recently as June 11. They were immediately made private when reporters contacted the school.

A staff member said via email that "the amount of data that had been exposed is certainly very concerning".

In an email sent in December last year, student publication Woroni told security officials they would not publish an article about the breach until it had been resolved to protect the privacy of staff and students.

Reporters repeatedly asked the office of the chief operating officer, Michael Schwager, for updates via email throughout 2026.

On May 29, the office told reporters that the issues identified were "taken seriously" but that the sharing of private documents was "an ongoing challenge".

"The Information Security Office has been continuously working to identify and remediate externally shared permissions across the university's environment," the email said.

"A significant contributing factor is that users frequently generate shareable links - often without appreciating the access implications - which means new instances can arise faster than they are resolved."

The office said the ANU expected to launch "a comprehensive Microsoft 365 training program" later in the year to help "staff and students understand and manage sharing and permissions responsibly".

An ANU spokesperson told The Canberra Times that the university takes its privacy obligations seriously.

"When the university became aware of concerns regarding information associated with the Fenner school of society and broader Microsoft 365 issues, a comprehensive review was undertaken, and remediation activities were instigated to address identified issues," the spokesperson said.

"ANU has systems and processes in place for protecting and dealing with potential information, security or privacy breaches. Potential issues are assessed, prioritised and addressed through a structured remediation program.

"ANU encourages the responsible reporting of potential security issues. Concerns raised through established reporting channels contribute to the university's review and remediation activities."

• Support is available for those who may be distressed. Phone Lifeline 13 11 14; Kids Helpline 1800 551 800; 1800-RESPECT 1800 737 732

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/9295046/opinion-management-crisis-cost-100m-amid-student-struggles/

By Satara Uthayakumaran

June 20 2026 - 5:30am

Recently, I was sitting in the 24/7 library at ANU, watching a viral Senate estimates clip on my small laptop screen. In this clip, our interim vice-chancellor revealed that the catastrophic implosion of ANU management over the past year had cost the university a mammoth $100 million in reputational costs.

Whilst watching, I also noticed in the corner of my eye a student, wrapped in their jacket, asleep on one of the couches in the library. I left for the evening, having finished my work.

But when I returned in the morning to do some printing, the same student was still there. This wasn't the first time I'd seen or heard of students sleeping in the warm library because they couldn't make rent, or afford to turn the heating on at their share-houses off campus.

Following the revelation at estimates, headlines were spun around the country, rightfully highlighting yet another dumpster fire our university found itself in.

But as executives counted their $100m in reputational costs, I couldn't help but think of that student sleeping in the library. In fact, I couldn't help but think of all the lives, all the human faces at the coalface of these devastating betrayals.

At the end of 2024, when the ANU underwent its controversial restructure, led by university management for reasons now exposed as completely unfounded, a deep sense of grief and panic took hold over our campus.

The professors we had come to love and respect, were being let go by the day. Degree offerings and choices of subjects were being culled. The standard of our university experience, for the price we were paying, was declining.

But let's be clear. To think that the crisis which unfolded at the ANU is just an isolated instance of "bad leadership", is to fundamentally mischaracterise the issue. What happened, is the catastrophic result of treating public universities like profit-driven corporations.

For years, those at the top controlling universities, have been carving out and sinisterly cultivating a much broader national story. Executives treat our places of learning like cash enterprises to line the pockets of higher-ups. They prioritise property portfolios and the salaries of those in management, at the cost of students and their right to a fair and proper education.

And whilst these cold, calculating decisions are being made in boardrooms most students will never know exist, I sit next to classmates who sleep in the library because they can't afford rent - who skip meals to survive the cost-of-living crisis, all while our universities act less like a places of learning and more like a merciless real estate brokerages.

Last year as I travelled over the country speaking to thousands of young people as Australia's Youth Representative to the United Nations, my suspicions that the crisis at ANU was just the tip of a much larger systemic issue, were confirmed.

I've spoken to young farmers, and those in the regions who dream of being the first person in their family to attend university, only now to be priced out of their ambitions due to the rising costs of on-campus accommodation.

I've sat with those with learning disabilities, who've lost dedicated academic mentoring, subsidised campus medical services, and localised pastoral care due to cuts in the interest of "maximising revenue" - making them feel that universities are no longer places for people like them.

But as students, we fight back. We always have.

When we're told our arts degrees are being slashed, when the teachers we care about are forced to leave; we ground the campus to a halt, we march on the Chancellery, we stage rallies and protest concerts to defend our academic integrity.

And why do we do this? Because universities are our homes. They are the places where we learn who we are, and have the chance to exchange ideas and experiences with those who come from different walks of life.

But when we turn universities into corporate entities that choose profit over education - we lose students from different backgrounds, we lose the opportunity to make universities vibrant and unique places of life which bring together those from across Australia - and instead, create a homogenous, breeding ground of elitism.

So, my challenge to you - the custodians of our higher learning - is this: will you continue to protect the margins of ruthless corporate enterprise, or will you allow our universities to be places for thinking and exploring - spaces where we can build an equal, diverse society of thinkers and creators that reflects the tapestry of modern Australia?

And if you need help with your answer - look to the campus cafes, the grassy quadrangles, and the libraries at 2am. That's where you'll find us.

• Satara Uthayakumaran is a writer, and was Australia's 2025 Youth Ambassador to the United Nations.