ANU Chancellor Julie Bishop accused of ‘hostility', blocking staff member from leaving room during ‘aggressive' meeting

News.com.au

10 hours ago

Australian National University Chancellor Julie Bishop has been accused in a Senate hearing of bullying a staff member to the point of 'near suicide' following a private meeting where the former Liberal minister allegedly laughed at her and blocked her from leaving the room.
In an emotional statement to a Senate committee on the quality of governance at universities, former ANU council member Liz Allen accused Ms Bishop of threatening behaviour after she was wrongly accused of leaking information about ANU's leadership to the media.
Dr Allen alleged the bullying she suffered due to senior leadership, including Vice-Chancellor Genevieve Bell and Ms Bishop, pushed her into contemplating suicide, and senior leadership failed to support her after she suffered a miscarriage.
'ANU leaders behave with impunity, keep counsel in the dark and fail to adequately disclose conflicts,' Dr Allen told the Senate committee.
'Since 2024 I've experienced threats, intimidation and bullying because I sought greater probity of council conduct.
'I was bullied into near suicide. I miscarried a much wanted baby. I've lost the opportunity of a promotion. I fear for my job, and my career has been derailed.'
Under university leadership structures, the council acts as an institution's governing body and is chaired by the chancellor.
Dr Allen told the Senate committee during one council meeting in February, Ms Bishop specifically accused herself and another council member of leaking to the media – claims she rejects.
'I take my obligations extremely seriously and would never compromise my integrity,' she said.
'When I defended myself in this meeting, the chancellor suggested I defamed her. The repeated public allegations and increasing aggression was so distressing I cried and began to hyperventilate during the meeting.'
She said Ms Bishop 'further berated me' and another elected council member in a private room following the meeting, in which Ms Bishop threatened a legal investigation, and said she would call 'a journalist to confirm I wasn't leaking' and blocked her from exiting the room.
'I became further distressed with the continued pursuit of false leaking allegations,' she said.
'Chancellor Bishop laughed incredulously at my emotional response, and at one point blocked me leaving the room.
'I was so distressed I couldn't breathe and struggled walking.'
Dr Allen, who was pregnant at the time, told the committee the 'traumatising' meeting affected her 'so deeply' that she 'decided to kill myself' while driving home from the meeting.
Two weeks later, she also suffered a miscarriage, after she was told her baby son's 'heart stopped beating'.
'I pulled over to write final goodbyes to my children and my partner. I emailed my supervisors so they knew I hadn't done anything wrong,' she said.
'A call from my husband stopped me taking my life I was pregnant at the time of these incidents.'
Dr Allen told the committee 'further bullying and threats' continued after she launched a workplace complaint following the meeting, and alleged the chief people officer 'implied' she had 'mental health problems and dismissed the dysfunction of council'.
She was also told by ANU Pro Chancellor Alison Kitchen that her 'position was untenable' and that she had a 'duty to resign all because I had no confidence in the council'.
While Ms Bishop and Prof Bell were invited to the inquiry, they were unable to attend.
ANU chief operating officer Jonathan Churchill said Ms Bishop was unable to attend the inquiry due to commitments as the UN Secretary General's Special Envoy on Myanmar, while Prof Bell was 'on sick leave' with the flu.
While he didn't make specific reference to the claims, he said 'a number of the statements' made against ANU did 'not appear to be correct'.
'We have listened carefully to the proceedings from earlier today and the allegations made against the university. We take what has been said very seriously,' he said.
'We will examine all of the statements made and respond with particularity in writing to those assertions.'
He also withdrew from commenting on allegations put forward by Dr Allen, adding that it could compromise the current grievance procedure launched by Dr Allen.
Prior to Mr Churchill's appearance, inquiry chair and Labor senator Leah Blythe said that should ANU's representation not be able to 'answer senators' question' the inquiry would 'reserve our right to recall those witnesses at a later date'.
'Our inquiry goes till December, so I'm sure we will be able to find a time which is suitable for all, if that is required,' she said.
In a statement during questioning, Greens' higher education spokeswoman Mehreen Faruqi said she was 'shell shocked and shaken' by Dr Allen's comments, and questioned Prof bell and Ms Bishop's future at the university.