800 union members at ANU have voted no confidence in Vice Chancellor Genevieve Bell and her boss, Chancellor Julie Bishop. The ballot follows months of campus protests against job cuts accompanying a proposed restructure and media leaks intended to undermine both women.
This is a very bad result for the University Council, which has closed ranks publicly in support of the pair. The National Tertiary Education Union represents 25% of ANU continuing staff at most. But the university workforce in general listens to the union in disputes over pay and conditions – and there is deep disquiet across campus over management’s poorly presented savings plan.
Media mud – and there has been plenty of it – will not bother Ms Bishop as life presiding over the National University is nowhere near as bad as Federal Parliament. But the vote makes it harder for Professor Bell to appeal to staff out of love of the university. The Union is also contesting the University’s rationale for required savings, claiming the 2024 deficit was overestimated.
If savings are essential, the Executive has two choices.
One is to stick it out, hoping Professor Bell can rise above the ruck and unite the university into the future. The other is to make concessions on cuts – a case which would be very hard for the Vice-Chancellor to make.
Either way, the Executive needs quick runs on the board, finding new answers to demonstrate they are capable of turning around staff sentiment, making some progress in at least looking strategic and making positive change.
Council also faces two questions. One is who has the staff numbers – the union leadership or university executive? Good thing for Council that Ms Bishop used to count heads in her old job.
The other is what would happen to ANU if the Vice-Chancellor and/or Chancellor stepped down? because a new Vice-Chancellor would need extraordinary political and communication skills and a commitment to saving a university that needs structural change.
Shame Bill Shorten is not available.
