Australian National University (ANU) leaders kept information from members of its governing council, intimidated staff members so much that they feared for their livelihoods and bullied one so badly that she miscarried and contemplated suicide, a Senate committee has heard.

In scathing and tearful testimony to an inquiry into university governance, staff accused ANU chancellor Julie Bishop of exercising ¡°godlike powers¡± in a ¡°dysfunctional and toxic¡± council.

Demographer Liz Allen, a former staff-elected representative on the council, said she had ¡°decided to kill myself¡± following a traumatic meeting in which she was accused of leaking confidential information and defaming fellow councillors when she asked about financial matters.

Bishop had subsequently barricaded her in a private room, ¡°berated¡± her, threatened a legal investigation and ¡°laughed incredulously at my emotional response¡±, Allen?told the Senate¡¯s education and employment committee.

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¡°I felt violated and deeply humiliated,¡± she said. ¡°I couldn¡¯t breathe and struggled walking. Many people in the building saw my distress. Nobody did anything to help.¡±

Allen said her partner had talked her out of suicide but she had suffered a miscarriage a fortnight later. ¡°Intimidation and adverse consequences¡± included more legal threats, blocks against promotion and constraints on her academic commentary.

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¡°Colleagues are afraid to collaborate with me,¡± Allen told the committee. ¡°The trauma¡­continues to affect me and my family. I haven¡¯t leaked. I haven¡¯t breached the ANU code of conduct. I¡¯ve merely tried to hold leadership accountable.¡±

In a hearing stacked with ANU critics, the university¡¯s governing body was accused of quashing dissent through obfuscation and intimidation. Chief operating officer (COO) Jonathan Churchill said some of the statements ¡°do not appear to be correct¡± and promised written responses ¡°to those assertions¡±.

Churchill said he could not comment on Allen¡¯s claims because she had initiated a grievance procedure against the university ¨C a point reiterated by Bishop, whose duties as the United Nations secretary general¡¯s special envoy on Myanmar clashed with the meeting.

¡°I reject any suggestion that I have engaged with council members, staff, students and observers in any way other than with respect, courtesy and civility,¡± Bishop said in a statement issued shortly afterwards. ¡°It is not appropriate for me to comment further at this time.¡±

Churchill said ANU¡¯s council members had ¡°a deep commitment to the highest standards of governance, accountability and adherence to their legal obligations, both statutory and fiduciary as well as¡­ethical obligations. We are committed to continuous improvement in our governance framework.¡±

He said the ¡°internal representation¡± on the council ¨C six elected staff and students in a council of 15 ¨C was high for an Australian university. The council members brought ¡°considerable experience and diversity, and that diversity includes diversity of opinion¡±.

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Francis Markham, who was elected to the council following Allen¡¯s resignation in April, said he had resigned the day before the hearing over ¡°concerns about governance practices¡±.

¡°Meeting procedures make it difficult at times to know what decisions have been made and, at times, limit full discussions,¡± Markham told the hearing.

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Will Burfoot, president of the ANU Students¡¯ Association, said his role as elected undergraduate member had exposed him to ¡°governance failures at the highest level¡± as he and fellow councillors were ¡°intimidated¡±, ¡°mistreated¡± and ¡°gaslit¡±.

He accused the council of deliberately limiting access to information ¡°to frustrate any real attempts at oversight¡±. He said a motion to suspend ANU¡¯s?restructure?pending a regulatory investigation ¡°wasn¡¯t brought to a vote¡± because ¡°it would have passed¡±.

Burfoot said council meetings were ¡°very inaccessible¡± for student representatives. ¡°The council packs are regularly over 400 pages; 600 pages in some cases. On a good week, they¡¯ll be delivered to us the week before the meeting.¡±

Millan Pintos-Lopez, president of the National Tertiary Education Union¡¯s ANU branch, said he had been singled out for ¡°deeply intimidating¡± treatment following a two-year stint on the council. He had received a legal letter entitled ¡°reminder of obligations of confidentiality¡± and the COO had requested a copy of his performance review.

¡°There are multiple reporting lines between me and the COO and, to my knowledge, no one else in the division received a similar request. I believe these actions were in direct response to my public criticism of the ANU leadership. I genuinely feared for my job.¡±

Churchill did not say whether he had requested any other employees¡¯ performance reviews. He said he had sought documentation about Lopez to check adherence to ¡°time relief¡± rules around union activities. ¡°I just wanted to make sure that the obligations between employer and employee were appropriately satisfied, and they were.¡±

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john.ross@timeshighereducation.com

If you are having suicidal thoughts or feel you need to talk to someone, a free helpline is available around the clock in the UK on 116123, or you can email?jo@samaritans.org. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In?Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13?11?14. Other international suicide helplines can be found at?.