All of Senator David Pocock’s motions for ANU-related documents were voted down by the Senate when they were moved on Monday. Photo: James Coleman.
ACT independent Senator David Pocock has failed in his bid to force the Australian National University to hand over several documents he argues would provide more transparency into the institution’s decision-making processes.
However, the ANU could be compelled to at least produce its self-assurance letter to the national regulator if a separate motion gets up today (26 August).
Senator Pocock’s motions called for budget forecasts, financial statements, complete and unredacted copies of staff surveys, and any email correspondence sent by Vice-Chancellor Professor Genevieve Bell to Council Members relating to a “purported breach of Council confidentiality”.
All of them were voted down by the Senate when they were moved on Monday (25 August).
Coalition Senator Paul Scarr said while the Opposition felt transparency of government agencies was important, the party believed the workplace dispute of ANU staff member Dr Liz Allen had been “inappropriately publicised” in the recent university governance inquiry hearings.
“The Opposition is concerned that the conduct of that dispute may be impacted by the passage of these motions,” he said.
“[We] would not wish to deny natural justice to the complainant or anyone else.”
Mr Scarr also noted the current TEQSA investigation into the ANU, the ongoing university governance inquiry, and the fact that the ANU was scheduled to appear before Senate estimates in October as additional reasons not to support the motions.
The Labor Government also voted against the motions.
ACT Labor Senator Katy Gallagher said the party had similar reasons to the Coalition, and stated the amount of work it would take to provide the documents was also a factor.
“I would prefer the ANU, at this point in time, was dealing with the issues that we have asked them to deal with,” she said.
“I am aware of the issues that need to be resolved, and I want the ANU to get on and resolve them.”
Greens Senator and deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi was scathing in her assessment of both the Coalition and Labor’s decision not to back any of Mr Pocock’s motions.
“People know the ANU is rife with scandals, with budgetary mismanagement, with staff being bullied … secrets being kept from staff,” she said.
“What we have here is Labor and the Coalition … running a protective racket for the protection of the executive at the ANU.
“It is absolutely shameful.”
Senator Faruqi earlier gave notice of a motion she planned to move in the Senate today, calling on the ANU’s self-assurance letter it had written to the Tertiary Education and Quality Standards Agency to be tabled in the Senate.
Her motion, if passed, would compel that document to be produced no later than 9 am on Thursday (28 August).
Greens Senator and deputy leader Mehreen Faruqi expressed her disdain that Mr Pocock’s motions weren’t supported in the Senate. Photo: Screenshot.
Vice-Chancellor Bell had previously informed the ANU community on 19 August that it had submitted the document to TEQSA.
“This is part of the compliance assessment I notified staff about in July, and it’s been a useful and reflective exercise to address many of the claims made against the University, including through unsubstantiated media reporting,” she wrote.
“We will look to publish the report for our community once the compliance assessment enters the next phase, and I will provide an update on this timing when I can.”
Senator Pocock accused the major parties of teaming up to “protect one of their own and the senior ANU leadership” rather than representing the community.
“This feels very much like protection of the university leadership rather than acting in the best interests of the staff and students who are crying out for support,” he said.
Mr Pocock said nothing his motions called for would have interfered with any investigations or with natural justice processes. He called out the “enormous harm” the ANU’s budget-reduction process had caused both staff and students.
“All I’m asking is for some more transparency from our national university,” he said.
“The [ANU] Chief People Officer likes to say that the ANU is ‘data-driven’ and I want to see them release that data – including financial information and the results of the latest staff survey.”
