Federal Education Minister Jason Clare is looking for Australian National University (ANU) Chancellor Julie Bishop\u2019s replacement, following a report that Bishop racked up $790,000 in expense bills in 2024. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bishop\u2019s term is due to expire at the end of 2026. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the Australian Financial Review<\/a> (AFR), Clare\u2019s spokesman said it was \u201cnot unusual\u201d for a potential replacement to be scouted out so early. The Chancellor is appointed by the ANU council but considers recommendations from the government. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Potential replacements include Professor Glyn Davis, former Vice Chancellor of the University of Melbourne from 2005\u20132018 and former head of the Prime Minister\u2019s department and the Australian Public Service. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2024, Bishop\u2019s expenses included $151,424 for renting a luxury office on the Swan River in Perth, as well as $150,000 for travel and $109,000 for lease liability. <\/p>\n\n\n\n ANU had previously spent $800,000 renovating Bishop\u2019s Perth office in 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of Bishop\u2019s financial documents, sourced by the AFR via the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC), listed her Perth office as the address of her private consulting firm<\/a>, Julie Bishop & Partners. A second document listed the Perth office as her residential address.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bishop\u2019s staff told ASIC that this was an error and that they had notified ASIC, providing \u201can alternate physical address\u201d for Bishop\u2019s place of residence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Some expenses did not have self-evident links to Bishop\u2019s duties as chancellor, such as a $454 charge for hiring plants and $1.38 for stainless steel tongs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Over 800 ANU employees passed a vote of no confidence in Bishop and ANU Vice-Chancellor Genevieve Bell in February 2025. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the 2023-2024 financial year, ANU reported a $400 million deficit, initially misreported as $460 million. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Their 2024-2025 deficit was initially projected to be $260 million and is now projected to be $200 million, leading to concerns that the administration is not being transparent with its financial reporting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As a result, on 20th June, Clare referred ANU to the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency<\/a> (TEQSA) over \u201csignificant concerns\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The concerns regard ANU\u2019s \u2018Renew ANU\u2019 restructure program<\/a>, which hopes to save $250 million by cutting approximately 650 jobs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n