Education Minister Jason Clare has intervened in the ongoing leadership crisis at Australian National University by writing to its vice chancellor Genevieve Bell and referring concerns over management and governance to the national higher education regulator.

Clare, who has commissioned a report into university governance, has to this point remained at arm’s length from ANU’s travails, which were triggered last year by a contentious restructure designed to make savings of $250 million and including an estimated 650 job cuts.