ANU’s new Acting Pro-Chancellor Andrew Metcalfe chaired a staff meeting Tuesday where he bucketed members of the University Council he joined last August.
“Amongst many other issues, there have been several leaks of highly confidential material that clearly related to individuals, and which have clearly and understandably caused great distress. … . I still cannot really understand, much less explain, why this all happened. It is very sad.”
But not all of them. “I have observed exemplary behaviours and contributions from the elected members of the Council. They have worked very constructively and respectfully throughout a very challenging and difficult period. I applaud their service. In my view, in a university where there are so many remarkable and eminent people, those elected Council members are true heroes.”
He also backed Interim Vice Chancellor Rebekah Brown saying she, “has the integrity, motivation, skills and humanity to lead the University through this current period.”
Mr Metcalfe went on to report the findings of Vivienne Thom’s inquiry into the university’s management of a staff member’s workplace complaints. She concluded that it amounted to mal-administration and as such, was disclosable under the whistleblower-protecting Commonwealth Public Interest Disclosure Act. He added Dr Thom also made adverse findings against Council members which were not to the PID threshold, but that no action will be taken under university’s code of conduct against “those who have resigned.”
As of yesterday, former Chancellor Julie Bishop and five other government-appointed Council members had resigned or signalled departure. When Mr Metcalfe added the ANU Council “believes in Professor Brown and has full confidence in her,” he was referring to himself, Acting Chancellor Larry Marshall and the seven staff and student members. The other six seats, all external positions, are empty, in the gift of Education Minister Jason Clare.
Mr Metcalfe did not comment on reasons for the exodus, however in her resignation Ms Bishop pointed to “regulatory overreach” by the Tertiary Education Quality Standards Agency which is in control of the process to select a new chancellor (her term ended this December.) Council was also previously divided over former VC Genevieve Bell’s savings plan, which was bitterly opposed by the campus branch of the National Tertiary Education Union and allies and cancelled by Professor Brown who is committed to balancing the university budget without staff cuts.