At a meeting on Thursday, Bishop informed staff of Bell’s resignation which was met with cheers of applause from the audience.
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Bishop herself is the subject of an independent investigation after a former member of the ANU’s governing council, Dr Liz Allen, recounted to a Senate committee in August how Bishop allegedly berated, laughed at and blocked her from leaving a room when confronting her with claims of leaking confidential information to the media.
Asked about those bullying allegations, Bishop told the meeting: “I reject each and every allegation that’s been made against me.”
When Bishop finished addressing the bullying allegations, a staff member called out “solidarity with Liz”, prompting cheers of “hip, hip, hooray” from the audience.
At a press conference afterward, Bishop was asked why she should remain in her position as chancellor after the university fell into a dire financial situation.
“[The] financial situation as it currently stands, began a very long time ago, and I am aware that when I became chancellor in January of 2020, that we had some serious financial challenges, we then went immediately into the lockdown relating to COVID, and that had dramatic impacts, but the structural flaws in our financial situation date back years,” Bishop said.
“This is a hard day for any university, and I felt that people were, of course, emotional. I feel very emotional about it, a number of people do.”
The institution’s interim vice chancellor Rebekah Brown told staff it was her goal for ANU to once again be the country’s number one university with the best student and staff experience.
“I’ve been in this role, I think, about an hour, I can’t speak on behalf of every senior leader in the organisation, but what I can say is that there is very deep care and concern for everyone, there’s very deep care and concern about the direction we are heading in,” she said.
ANU Chancellor Julie Bishop held a press conference after announcing that the ANU vice-chancellor would resign.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
But many believe that future direction should not include Bishop.
The National Tertiary Education Union’s ACT division secretary Dr Lachlan Clohesy said: “The chancellor still faces serious allegations, and under her watch ANU is now subject to investigation by TEQSA and the Fair Work Ombudsman.”
ANU student and president of the National Union of Students Ashlyn Horton welcomed Bell’s resignation but also questioned Bishop’s role in the institution’s future.
“It’s something that staff and students have been calling for, for a very long time, [and] the first thought that pops into my head now is: when is Julie Bishop going to go?”
ACT Senator David Pocock said further leadership renewal was needed.
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“The chancellor faces serious bullying and workplace harassment allegations and has presided over a period that saw a significant decline in the university’s financial position and governance arrangements,” he said.
Labor Senator Tony Sheldon said the resignation of Bell was a “direct result of the catastrophic failure of governance in our universities” and also took aim at Bishop.
“Chancellor Julie Bishop led the ANU Council during this period, and ultimately, the buck stops with her. Under her leadership, the Council signed off on sweeping restructures, oversaw rising dissatisfaction among students and staff, including senior academics, and failed to provide transparency around serious governance concerns,” he said.
Education Minister Jason Clare said he wished Bell “well for the future”.
“Significant governance concerns at ANU have been raised with me. That’s why l’ve referred ANU’s governance to [Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency] for assessment,” he said.
“TEQSA recently appointed former Public Service Commissioner Lynelle Briggs to inform that work.”
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