An ANU health and safety representative feels the university has underestimated the “human cost of the executive’s prerogative”. Photo: Claire Fenwicke.
CONTENT WARNING: This article references self-harm and suicide.
The Federal work health and safety regulator has launched an investigation into the Australian National University as it continues to monitor the restructuring program, RenewANU.
A Comcare spokesperson confirmed to Region that while it had not issued any enforcement notices to date, an inspection was underway.
“Comcare may conduct inquiries to monitor compliance with the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 at any time, in accordance with our Compliance and Enforcement Policy,” they said.
“The Work Health and Safety (Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work) Code of Practice 2024 provides specific guidance to duty holders on managing health and safety risks associated with the psychosocial hazard of poor organisational change management.”
The regulator had been called on to assist with a cease work order for the College of Arts and Social Sciences (CASS), issued by an ANU Health and Safety Representative (HSR) on 17 September.
College of Business and Economics HSR Ian Prager told the Region that the representatives had become increasingly concerned that the ANU’s measures to control psychosocial risks with its Renew ANU program were insufficient.
“Nobody is saying that an organisation can’t fire people,” he said.
“But, should they choose to do so, it has a responsibility to carry it out in a way that controls the risk to employees and not make things worse.”
Mr Prager said former Vice-Chancellor Professor Genevieve Bell’s unclear communications on 20 August about “no more forced redundancies”, when there still would be redundancies at that time under the current change management proposals, was the final breaking point.
ANU has since stated that there will be no further involuntary redundancies, including those outlined in the proposals.
He said the HSRs felt the “frequency and level” of risk at CASS, which was facing one of the more drastic restructures, hadn’t been properly identified.
“[The CASS HSR] had nine people telling him they were either self-harming or on suicide watch,” Mr Prager said.
“The risk was way higher than ANU was willing to admit.”
Mr Prager described the situation as if a group of people had been asked to continue working in a windowless room even though all the lights were out.
“It’s the psychosocial version of that … there are people here for whom the lights are out,” he said.
“The unsafe work [from the cease work order] was having this Sword of Damocles hanging over them while they’re trying to do their regular work.
“People were in a state of panic about whether they’d have to leave Canberra or even Australia to find work, if they lost their job.”
Now that involuntary redundancies have been completely taken off the table, Mr Prager said ANU still needs to create a long-term plan to “detraumatise” the people impacted by the uncertainty.
“I think [ANU] missed the work-environment nuance of what we were telling them,” he said.
“It really never should have come to this … consult with workers before you do [things].
“[The ANU needs] to have more awareness of the human cost of the executive’s prerogative.”
The cease work order was lifted on 23 September.
National Tertiary Education Union ACT division secretary Dr Lachlan Clohesy said Comcare’s intervention had helped to improve the situation at ANU, and said further work was being done to “repair trust and mitigate risk”.
“The situation should never have been allowed to get so bad at the ANU,” he said.
“That is why there are continuing questions about whether the leadership of the Chancellor is still tenable, as well as broader concerns that sweeping changes to governance structures are needed. To be adequate, these would likely involve amendment of the ANU Act.”
Dr Clohesy said the union was also working closely with the CASS HSRs and expected a specific review of this area would be needed to determine how things reached the point where a cease work order was necessary.
“There has been a lot of harm in the College, and there remains significant distrust of College leadership,” he said.
“It will be up to the Dean [Professor Bronwyn Parry], through her actions, to earn that trust back if her leadership position is to be tenable in the future.
“It remains to be seen whether that is possible.”
An ANU spokesperson said it was committed to engaging with and consulting regularly with its HSRs
“Psychosocial risk management remains a high priority for the University, and we are making continuous efforts in this regard,” they said.
“If anyone in our community needs support, we have a range of health and wellbeing services.”
If this story has raised issues for you, help is available 24/7 by calling Lifeline on 13 11 14 or texting 0477 13 11 14. If you are at risk now, call Triple Zero (000).
