Former foreign affairs minister Julie Bishop resigned as Australian National University chancellor in an explosive rebuke of 'increasingly contemptuous' intervention in the running of the Canberra school, her newly released resignation letter has revealed.
Ms Bishop left the top job at the ANU last month after a more than six-year tenure marked by controversy and a widely reviled $250 million cost-cutting program.
In her resignation letter, tabled to a Senate estimates hearing last week, Ms Bishop lambasted interference in the running of the ANU Council and the appointment of her successor by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA).
'In particular, the overreach in recent actions and expectations conveyed by TEQSA has, in my view, grievously constrained my capacity to discharge my responsibilities and legal duties,' she said in the May 7 letter to ANU pro chancellor Larry Marshall.
'This is especially so in relation to some of council's most fundamental functions: the selection and appointment of the chancellor, the vice-chancellor, ministerially appointed members of council, and, more recently, decisions concerning the appointment of senior officers of the university.'
Ms Bishop claimed TEQSA had moved to 'substantially take over' the school's government under 'what I perceive to be coercive threats about the possible imposition of new (and legally impermissible) conditions of registration'.
Following a failure by the council to agree to any action against TEQSA, Ms Bishop said she could no longer remain as chancellor, claiming the governing body was now acting inconsistently with the ANU Act, the legal basis for the running of the school.
'The extent and manner of TEQSA's interventions have had a seriously destabilising and fracturing effect on council and the broader university community,' she said.
'Taken together, these matters have created a regulatory environment that I consider to be disproportionate, inappropriate and without legal foundation and which raises broader questions for institutional governance at the university and across the higher education sector.'
'I believe that the Australian National University can and should be one of the finest universities in the world and I encourage our brilliant students to focus on the opportunities that an education from this university can provide them.'
Liberal Senator Maria Kovacic said she expected transparency from the ANU and the government over Ms Bishop's resignation and those of multiple Council members.
'It is important that accountability for broader governance and cultural issues within the university is not unfairly or disproportionately placed on any one individual,' she said.
'It is deeply concerning that highly respected and experienced figures, including a former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and ministerially appointed Council members, have felt compelled to resign over serious governance concerns.'
'When issues are raised relating to external regulatory pressure and impediments to effective governance, those concerns warrant careful scrutiny and a clear public response.'
'It is equally troubling that matters raised in these resignation letters appear inconsistent with evidence provided by ANU during recent Senate estimates hearings.'
'These apparent discrepancies raise serious questions that deserve transparent answers from both the university and the government.'
Ms Bishop said she raised her concerns with Education Minister Jason Clare, and her initial interaction with TEQSA had been limited. In her first four years in the role, Ms Bishop said she received only a single letter.
However, between late-2024 and early-2025, coinciding with the council's cost-cutting program, TEQSA made 'almost 60 separate interactions' requesting her input. Ms Bishop described TEQSA requests as 'persistent, unreasonable, and arguably vexatious'.
The former Liberal deputy leader also hit out at legal advice sought by the ANU Council about TEQSA's role. Acting chancellor Andrew Metcalfe, addressing Senate estimates, acknowledged 'grave concerns' about the running of the university but said everything was done lawfully.
'Legal advice was legal advice, but ultimately the council has to act in the best interests of the university,' he said. 'We're very confident we've done nothing unlawful. Quite to the contrary, we made a very sensible decision.'
In her letter, Ms Bishop said the advice confirmed that 'agreeing to TEQSA's constant demands would amount to an effective delegation of council's functions and powers in a manner fundamentally inconsistent with the ANU Act'.
The resignations of several council members were also tendered during the hearing. In one letter, former member Tanya Hosch apologised for the 'harm and hurt' caused to staff and students during the period of prolonged controversy at the university.
'I do believe that ANU can recover from this unprecedented period of harm and wish all involved in this careful work the very best,' she said.
Ms Hosch also cited a lack of 'commitment and recognition of importance' to prioritising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in decision making. 'I do not accept it should be within the entire control of non-Indigenous people to determine the criteria under which an Indigenous person can participate,' she said.
Another member, lawyer and former judge Wayne Martin AC KC, pointed out the university's co-operation with TEQSA, with which the council had had 'farcical dealings'. He said TEQSA had 'taken complete control' and been allowed to 'usurp council's role in the governance of the university'.
In a separate letter, senior public servant Padma Raman described 'withering trust' within the council over the past 12-18 months. 'The ever-increasing workload in the face of constant leaks makes it untenable for me to make the time to the council,' she said. She urged all council members to resign or be removed 'to ensure a fresh start for this remarkable university'.
