GTVÄÐͬ

This week sees a lot of activity across campus with ANU students back from break, whilst many staff and students are having to balance family/carer responsibilities with the ACT/NSW school holidays. A big thanks to our staff who are balancing these important commitments, and to the teams around them for ensuring staff can access leave during this period. For those heading on leave, please make the most of your time off and spend time doing things that recharge you. I’ll be spending next week in the field, travelling along some of the old East-West Telegraph Line and I’m looking forward to the sky, sand and stepping back into Australia’s lesser-known technological past.

Back on campus, it is hard to miss the election coverage which is dominating every platform, and it is great to see the number of ANU experts shaping the national conversation. Many of our experts have been called on to provide analysis and commentary and just yesterday, along with the Group of Eight and the Australian Electoral Commission, we hosted an event here at GTVÄÐͬ, and online,  where a panel of experts (including our own Dr Jill Sheppard) discussed the role of the Electoral Commission, the mechanics of our voting responsibilities to maintain a flourishing democracy. The event is available online, and it was great to see this cross-institution collaboration.

This week, we have been working towards bringing a new person to lead our Risk function here at the ANU. This is another part of the work we have been doing to further developing our ability to respond to the regulatory and compliance environment. These types of roles are common across industry and government and are becoming more so in the higher education sector. And I am looking forward to being able to introduce someone to our community soon. I am also really happy to be welcoming Professor Joan Leach into her role as our new Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) – wooohoooo!!! I’ve worked with Joan for many years and in many roles, including Chair of Academic Board, and she is an incredibly experienced and capable leader. I am so very pleased she has joined the executive team and know you will join me in wishing her well.

And hot off the presses, well the digital ones: the 2024 ANU Annual Report has been endorsed by the ANU Council, and it will be provided to the Minister for Education by COB today. The Annual Report will need to be tabled in Parliament before it can be released publicly, including to our community. We will share it as soon as we can through an upcoming On Campus. In the meantime, you can find copies of previous Annual Reports available on the . 

Good thoughts where this may find you.

G