Do you have confidence in the leadership of the ANU Chancellor and
Vice-Chancellor?

The details of the significant variance between the 2024 budget and 2024-2028 financial plan on one hand and the apparent $250m in savings required to respond to the “ANU “budget crisis”, have never been provided to ANU staff.

The limited information provided to ANU staff shows that recurrent expenditure is slightly below the 2024 budget and we’ve heard from S&P Global Analyst, Anthony Walker that “the books are a bit stronger than they’re saying”.

Why are ANU’s investment streams failing to cross-subsidise core activities like research and teaching?

Whatever the reality of the budget crisis, accountability for how ANU responds must fall to the Chancellor and the Vice-Chancellor.

In July 2024, ANU self-reported to the Fair Work Ombudsman for ripping off at least 2290 casual staff to the tune of $2 million. The Canberra Times has neatly summed up the issue: “The ANU’s error is, at best, an oversight, and at worst, out-and-out wage theft.”

The NTEU is investigating other potential issues, including underpayment issues that relate to other staff categories.

The Vice-Chancellor has determined that ANU needs to cut $100m from staff costs, but ANU will not provide any detail on how many jobs will need to be disestablished to meet this target.

NTEU’s best estimate, based on 2023 staff expenditure figures, is that ANU will need to cut 638 FTE to reach the $100m savings target.

We also have no information about how much has been saved through job losses to date or how many more jobs are set to go to reach the target.

We’ve been told that RenewANU is an “15-month reset” but when it comes to the finer details, staff have consistently been the last to know.

ANU have not told us which areas will be cut in 2025, or when.

There has been no information about the rationale for deciding what will be cut or how ANU will ensure workloads for remaining staff remain reasonable and without risk to health and safety.

Why are the Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor listening to consultants like Nous Group, but not staff?

What further recommendations has Nous Group made to ANU that will impact staff?

Why are plans being left in lunchrooms, but not discussed with staff?

There have been many decisions made with little to no consultation that have major impacts on ANU staff and students. These include changes to on-campus childcare and graduation ceremonies.

Many staff have also remarked upon the seemingly arbitrary nature of decisions made by Recruitment Approval Committee and the lack of consideration given to the consequences of freezing recruitment and budget lines (for example, Q accounts).

Staff have also been forced to take annual and long-service leave and the Vice Chancellor has indicated that changes to the end of year shutdown are being contemplated.

The cost of parking on campus in 2025 has been massively increased to 277% of the 2024 price.

This is a significant increase that will most severely impact those who can afford it the least.

For many staff, these new charges are completely unavoidable and easily cancel out hard won pay increases achieved through enterprise bargaining.

Concerns raised by staff and students about the impacts of this change, especially for lower paid staff, have not resulted in any meaningful changes.

A culture of fear and intimidation has taken hold under the leadership of the Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor. There have been reports about the use of threats to silence dissent, prevent the flow of information to staff and frustrate scrutiny of decision making by the Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor.

ANU staff resoundingly rejected the brazen attempt to cut pay by cancelling the 2.5% pay rise due in December 2024. The proposal to vary the agreement came less than 12 months after the EBA entered into force.

The rejection of this proposal by 88% of the 4782 staff who voted was a de facto Vote of No Confidence in the Vice-Chancellor’s leadership.

We’re starting to see the impacts of cutting staff, with larger class sizes, less money for casual sessional academics and abolishing the Centre for Learning and Teaching.

These changes inevitably have a negative impact on student experience, on top of the impacts on affected staff.

Both the Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor face significant questions about potential conflicts of interest

Two staff in The Office of the Chancellor, as well as the Chancellor are also employed by Julie Bishop & Partners – a private consulting firm based in Perth, WA. All work from the ANU’s Perth office however it is not clear how staff time is managed and accounted for between these two employers and whether ANU premises are used to conduct the business of Julie Bishop & Partners.

There are serious questions about the Vice-Chancellor’s position at Intel, with members of ANU Council unaware that the role was remunerated and disputing the Chancellor’s account that the Intel role was appropriately disclosed in accordance with the ANU Council Charter.