University leaders back chancellors with non-woke connections

After Mark Vailes’ ousting, higher education leaders push back aginst accepting new ‘woke’ standard for university chancellors.

Matthew Grounds, Australian head of investment bank UBS who is also chairman of the Victor Chang Foundation, Hamish Douglass CEO of the Magellan group, Maddie Beaumont (Blackrock Group), Simon McKeon Chairman of MS Research, Picture Renee Nowytarger.

Higher education leaders are pushing back against accepting a new standard for university chancellors after Whitehaven Coal chairman Mark Vaile – under pressure from anti-coal campaigners – pulled out of the chancellorship of the University of Newcastle this week.

Monash University said on Friday it had “no concerns” about the fact that its chancellor and one of its deputy chancellors were both directors of Rio Tinto, the mining giant which knowingly destroyed a cave in the Pilbara last year that is both an Aboriginal sacred site and contains 40,000-year-old artefacts of ancient human occupation.

Asked whether the top positions held by chancellor Simon McKeon and deputy chancellor Megan Clark were consistent with Monash’s support for Indigenous reconciliation, the university said “their values and experience align completely with the university’s vision and strategic purpose”.

Mr McKeon has been chancellor since 2016, but Dr Clark was appointed to a deputy chancellor role at Monash this year, well after Rio Tinto’s destruction of the Juukan Cave to expand one of its iron ore mines was publicly known.

“Any examination of the extensive publicly available information regarding the back­grounds of the chancellor and deputy chancellor, will demonstrate and affirm an exceptional and sustained record of service to Australia, across a range of spheres, including contributions to a vast number of communities, the environment, medical and scientific research, and gender equity,” Monash University said.

Business: Rio Tinto non-executive director Dr Megan Clark.

Christine McLoughlin, chair of Suncorp and director of other companies including Cochlear. . Picture: Britta Campion.

Monash is not alone in having a chancellor who holds, or has held, a powerful position which is targeted by activists.

University of Sydney chancellor Belinda Hutchinson is chairwoman of the Australian arm of French arms maker Thales which sells weapons systems and defence infrastructure globally, including to the Australian defence forces.

The University of Sydney said Ms Hutchinson’s role at Thales Australia did “not conflict with any university rules or regulations”.

“Thales is a civil and defence contractor, which supplies defence materiel to the Australian defence forces. All its defence activities are under the strict supervision of the Australian govern­ment,” the university said.

University of Wollongong chancellor Christine McLoughlin was appointed to the job last year without noticeable opposition, although she was a director of Whitehaven Coal from 2012-18, the same company whose board Mr Vaile chairs.

Newly appointed vice chancellor Mark Scott with Chancellor Belinda Hutchinson at the University of Sydney. Picture: Britta Campion.

University of Wollongong vice-chancellor Patricia Davidson said Ms McLoughlin brought to the university “extensive corporate governance experience as a director of companies across the financial services, resources, health insurance, sports and entertainment and infrastructure sectors”. “I am honoured to have her guidance and leadership as chancellor in these challenging times,” Professor Davidson said.

In contrast, Mr Vaile’s association with Whitehaven led to him being furiously attacked by academics, students, alumni and donors at the University of Newcastle when his appointment as chancellor was announced earlier this month.

Several other chancellors have, or have had, links with resource and fossil fuel companies.

At Flinders University, chancellor Stephen Gerlach was chairman of oil and gas producer Santos from 2001 to 2009.

RMIT University chancellor Ziggy Switkowski – the former chief executive of Telstra – once sat on the board of fossil fuel company Oil Search and is one of Australia’s most vocal advocates for nuclear energy.

Paul Jeans, this week reappointed as University of Newcastle chancellor after Mr Vaile pulled out, was for decades a senior executive at BHP.

Mr Vaile’s treatment by some academics has led senior figures in the resources sector to question the industry’s longstanding research and education relationship with universities.

Adani Australia chief executive Lucas Dow said on Thursday the response to Mr Vaile’s appointment at the University of Newcastle was driven by “discrimination” against the resources sector in higher education.

“It is a bit narrow-minded to think that simply because Mark chairs a coal producer that he doesn’t have other aspects. In fact I think he chairs a large renewables investor,” Mr Dow said.

Minerals Council of Australia chief executive Tania Constable said the universities should recognise that they needed to maintain a relationship with the minerals sector – the backbone of the national economy.

Additional reporting: Greg Brown