We have known for some time that the Australian National University (ANU) is facing significant financial challenges.
People across Canberra and across the country take immense pride in our national university.
I have sought to support ANU at every opportunity, pushing for more research funding and going into bat for them on legislation that would have made their situation worse, while also ensuring they are held to account through senate estimates and pushing for things like a National Student Ombudsman to enhance student safety on campus.
However I have heard nothing but concern after concern being raised by Canberrans directly with me and more broadly about the leadership of the ANU, especially in terms of how they are responding to these financial challenges and handling the restructuring of the university.
On 7 November 2024, I asked ANU Vice-Chancellor Professor Genevieve Bell AO if the university had engaged consulting group Nous and if so how much the contract was worth.
Their Chief Operating Officer, Mr Churchill, told me “We have paid circa $50,000 so far this year”.
In a subsequent response to a Question on Notice from Senator Sheldon, the ANU has confirmed that the maximum value of that contract, entered into in September 2024, was in fact $837,000 and that the University has subsequently increased the value of that contract twice, in December 2024 and January 2025 to bring the total value to $1,127,000 excluding travel and expenses.
This is on top of another $66,390 in consulting fees also paid separately to three other consultancy firms regarding the Renew ANU project.
I am appalled that the leadership of Australia’s National University appears to have shown such contempt for the senate estimates process, seems to have misled me as a Senator for the ACT and more importantly, seems to have misled and sought to hide key information from our community.
As a measure of how seriously I take this incident, I have written to the Chair of the Senate Education and Employment Committee, Senator Tony Sheldon, requesting an investigation into the matter and potential contempt of the senate. I have also written to the ANU Vice-Chancellor seeking an explanation.
Based on the feedback I’ve received, things need to change.
From the extraordinarily poor way in which the proposed closure of community led childcare centres on campus was handled, the culture of fear, uncertainty and lack of transparency among staff as they try and manage change to bring down the deficit, the closure of the on campus medical centre, the handling of protests on campus, the public devaluing of staff by the Chancellor and the apparent double dipping of payment for staff employed by her consultancy and the university.
That this change management process has been so poorly managed while also spending more than a million dollars on consultants to manage it is a serious issue and ANU staff and the broader community deserve answers.
My job as Senator for the ACT is to represent the views of our community, and I think it is very clear that the community has lost confidence in the ANU leadership.
Excerpt from Hansard - Senate Estimates Hearing 7 November 2024
Senator DAVID POCOCK: Is it correct that you've engaged Nous Group? What work are they doing? Is it related to finding savings? What's the scope of that work?
Prof. Bell: I initially engaged the Nous Group a number of months ago to help think about how to look at the role and the changing role of universities in a global landscape. I was interested in what were the ways that universities thought strategically and what was a global survey. Since then, we've been continuing to work with them in order to understand best practice around service infrastructure and support services.
Senator DAVID POCOCK: How much is that contract worth?
Prof. Bell: Provost, you've been most recently associated with that.
Prof. Brown: Our chief operating officer is responsible for this one. I don't know the answer to that question.
Prof. Bell: You're going to punt this one? Oh my God. Jonathan, welcome to the party!
Mr Churchill: We have paid circa $50,000 so far this year.
Senator DAVID POCOCK: That was 75?
Senator Chisholm: Circa 50.
Prof. Bell: Which explains why I don't know—
Senator DAVID POCOCK: You're not the Public Service; you're the ANU—50, not 750.
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Source Education and Employment Legislation Committee_2024_11_07_Official.pdf;fileType=application/pdf
p.115