Minister refers concerns about university to HE regulator

The federal education minister has referred concerns about the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra to the country’s tertiary education regulator, writes Jade Toomey for ABC News.

Independent Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Senator David Pocock wrote to the minister, Jason Clare, on 16 June to raise concerns about governance and financial management at the ANU, which is pursuing a controversial restructure to save AU$250 million (US$162 million) by 2026. There has been widespread staff and community outcry over the university’s ongoing plans to slash hundreds of jobs, after it revealed a cumulative deficit of around AU$600 million.

Senator Pocock’s letter, which also includes other unspecified serious allegations, has now been referred to the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA), which regulates higher education. Clare said he had also written to ANU Vice-Chancellor Genevieve Bell on 6 June after hearing of “significant concerns” from his ACT Labor colleagues and the broader community about the university.
Full report on the ABC News site