As semester one approaches, we wish a warm welcome back to our staff. In 2025, the University will communicate with staff members through the following channels.

On Campus 

Landing in your inbox every Tuesday, On Campus is your key source of information. Stay informed of messages from University leadership, important announcements, campus news, professional development programs, staff consultation and more.  

ANUOK App 

ANUOK is the official safety and wellbeing app for our ANU community. If it is urgent, the University will contact you via the ANUOK App.  

All staff should download the ANUOK App.  

Download ANUOK on Google Play 

Download ANUOK on the App store 

SMS 

Ensure your contact details, including your mobile phone number, are updated via HORUS so the University can contact you in an emergency.  

Learn how to update your emergency contact details in HORUS 

Learn more: University calendar dates 

Paid parking 

The University’s new virtual parking system PayStay Parking went live on Monday 9 December 2024. This system is used to pay for parking by the hour or per day. To access discounted parking in PayStay, users must register and link their ANU ID to the App. Discounts are applied once the parking session has ended. For assistance with PayStay enquiries, please contact the Orikan Customer Service Centre on 133 322 111, or review the University’s PayStay Parking FAQs.  

Permit parking 

All valid parking permits in 2024 were automatically cancelled on Tuesday 31 December 2024 as we transitioned to the new ePermit system. Find information on ePermits on the Transport and Parking webpage, or apply for your ePermit here. 

Hi everyone, 

I want to thank our Campus Environment team who have been doing an extraordinary amount of work to maintain and clean up campus after last week’s storms. THANK YOU!!! For those just back on campus, welcome back and please make sure you have updated your ANUOK app as it is one of the fastest ways to communicate to our community. 

The next few weeks will see our campus resume more activity and excitingly, the return of students! We will have residential hall move-in days, Graduations week, Orientation week and the start of classes for semester 1. All of these signify a huge amount of time and energy, much of which happens behind the scenes until the day – and these are the moments that shape our student’s first experiences on campus. Graduations and O-week are large events, and the teams running them will need volunteers to help things run smoothly. If you have time, or can support in some way, please reach out to the Graduations Office or the central Events team. 

Next week, I am looking forward to two sets of activities - hosting a set of celebrations for our academic staff who were recently promoted through levels B to E and the Australian launch of the Rio Tinto Centre for Future Materials. For our academic staff promotions, these rites of passage are important to recognise, and on behalf of the leadership team, congratulations.  

Next week also sees the Council and sub-committee cycle resume for 2025. ANU Council (and the sub-committees which ladder up to Council), are our guardrails for governance - setting the mission, values and strategic direction of ANU and reviewing our progress against these. 

Good thoughts to where this may find you, 

Genevieve

Light Rail stage 2A City to Commonwealth Park will commence construction on the first week of February 2025. Construction works will take place on London Circuit, Commonwealth Avenue, Parkes Way and King Edward Terrace.  

The partial closure of London Circuit is expected to increase traffic on Marcus Clarke Street. Pedestrian pathways to campus will be unaffected.  

Learn more: Light rail travel impacts 

The new academic structures under Renew ANU took effect from Wednesday 1 January 2025 and are reflected on the University’s website. The changes include renaming the ANU College of Law to the ANU College of Law, Governance, and Policy; the ANU College of Engineering, Computing and Cybernetics to the ANU College of Systems and Society; the ANU College of Science to the ANU College of Science and Medicine, and the disestablishment of the ANU College of Health and Medicine. The new organisational chart is now available on the University’s website.  

The university is continuing to work on the required changes to our systems, processes and services throughout January and will update staff on changes to college contacts and available support. If you have any issues accessing systems or university services, please do not hesitate to email servicedesk@anu.edu.au.  

We understand change can be challenging and you or your colleagues may need extra support during the transition. The university has a range of support services available and we encourage you to access these as needed. 

As part of our ongoing commitment to financial sustainability, the University conducted a consultation process late last year to identify and evaluate further savings opportunities as part of the work of the Non-Salary Expenditure Taskforce.  

This week the Chief operating Officer discusses key priorities of the Taskforce for 2025, based on community feedback.

Learn more: Expenditure Taskforce Update

With the close of Parliament in 2024 the Government had not secured the passage of the revised legislation required to introduce international student caps.

At the close of Parliament in 2024 the Government was not able to pass legislation to introduce international student caps. It has since introduced a new measure to control the number of student visas issued. A new Ministerial Direction 111 will provide a priority order for processing of student visas by the Department of Home Affairs.  This replaces the previous Ministerial Direction 107.

Under MD111 the priority for visa applications to be processed will be based on a University’s numbers of new commencing students rather than its risk assessment, which was the basis under MD107.

Priority for processing will be based on the indicative international student caps previously developed for the draft legislation, known as an institution International student Profile (ISP). Once an institution reaches 80 per cent of its ISP allocation it will drop in priority order and those institutions who have not yet reached this threshold will receive priority.

ANU retains the highest priority processing status and continues to ensure ongoing compliance with the student visa framework.

In February 2024 the Government released the Australian Universities Accord, including 47 recommendations for long-term reform of the sector. 

Last month the Government confirmed its plan to establish the Australian Tertiary Education Commission (ATEC) from 1 July 2025 and to have it fully operational by 1 January 2026. ATEC is to have three expert commissioners, with one dedicated to First Nations. The initial focus of ATEC will be implementing the Government’s policies of Managed and Needs Based Growth and working with providers to set their 2026 International Student Profile.

The Government has stated the transition to Managed Growth Funding is expected to deliver 80,000 new Commonwealth Supported Places by 2035. To achieve this, funding for universities will be adjusted to better align with enrolments from 2026 and a $50m structural adjustment fund will be established to support adjustment. ANU domestic student demand currently outstrips funding received, and it is possible this announcement may help close some of the gap.

At the end of 2024 the Government was successful in securing support to have its reforms to the student debt legislation passed, including changing the indexation rate for HECS from the Consumer Price Index (CPI) to lower of the CPI or the Wage Price Index (WPI), effectively reducing student loan debt across all holders by $3 billion. Congratulations to those members of the ANU community who contributed to the advice and analysis that led to this historic policy change.

The Government has also established a National Student Ombudsman, which will allow students to escalate complaints about the actions of their higher education provider. While there is still work to be completed on how the Ombudsman will work with other existing bodies it is expected to start commencing service from 1 February 2025.

Another key change is the removal of eligibility requirement for students to transition to University within 12 months of completing year 12 to access the Tertiary Access Payment (TAP). This will assist low socio-economic students from regional and remote areas who need to relocate full time to their University studies.

University Secretary  

Following a competitive recruitment process, the University is pleased to advise of the appointment of Phillip Tweedie, as substantive University Secretary.    

Phillip has ably served as interim University Secretary since April 2024, demonstrating exceptional leadership, strategic vision, and an unwavering commitment to the University’s mission. His contributions have been instrumental in strengthening our governance and enhancing compliance and processes. As substantive University Secretary, Phillip will continue to support Council and its Committees, while leading the University Governance Office, ensuring the University upholds best practices in governance.

Please join me in congratulating Phillip on his substantive appointment and thanking him for his ongoing dedication to ANU. We look forward to continuing to work with Phillip, as he seamlessly delivers to our community. 

Pro Vice-Chancellor (Learning & Teaching)

Applications are now open for the role of (substantive) Pro Vice-Chancellor (Learning & Teaching). As a key member of the University Leadership Group, this is an exceptional opportunity for an accomplished academic leader to shape the future of learning and teaching. The Pro Vice-Chancellor will drive educational excellence, foster innovation, and elevate the student experience across physical and digital learning environments. This pivotal position will also play a critical role in implementing the University’s Learning and Teaching Strategy, ensuring world-class teaching and a curriculum that is forward-looking and impactful. 

Applications close on Sunday 16 February 2025. 

Apply now: Pro Vice-Chancellor (Learning & Teaching) 

Monday 10 February, 9:30-11am

To mark the beginning of a new year, the 2025 ANU Commencement Address keynote will be delivered by ANU alumna Lee Constable. Lee is a science and environment presenter and author. Her work includes hosting kids science TV shows Scope (Network 10) and Explainer Hacks (ABC Education). 

The event will feature an address from Vice-Chancellor Professor Genevieve Bell and will be emceed by ANU alumni Dr Weliton Menário - winner of the 2024 Dance your PhD competition with his music video Kangaroo Time.

Registration is mandatory to attend this event. 

Register now: 2025 Commencement Address

Ensuring that access lists for buildings on campus and ANU mailboxes are regularly checked for accuracy and relevance is of paramount importance for maintaining a secure and safe environment at ANU.

The ANU UniSafe Security Team recommends local areas perform monthly access list reviews to ensure that only authorised individuals have access to specific areas and mailboxes, reducing the risk of unauthorised access, security breaches and potential threats.

ANU Security also reminds supervisors to review building and mailbox access during the off-boarding process.

For more information about staff off-boarding, please review the Departure checklist. 

Many ANU retailers and food vendors close during the quiet holiday period and will begin to reopen over the next few days and weeks. For a complete list of retailer operating hours, please refer to the link below. 

ANU Exchange 

Learn more: Retailers reopening dates 

The Centre for International and Public Law is pleased to announce the publication of a major new report that we hope will shape policy thinking in Australia and globally. The report War Funders and Profiteers: Economic Complicity in International Crimes in Ukraine and Beyond explores the crucial but under-explored issue of international criminal responsibility of those who fund international crimes – war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and aggression – or profit from them.

Learn more: New report, War Funders and Profiteers

The University is pleased to introduce eduroam - a secure, worldwide roaming Wi-Fi service that can be used when travelling to other participating institutions around the globe.  

Designed for the international research and education community, eduroam is now available to all ANU staff, students and researchers. 

How to connect: 

While ANU-Secure remains the primary and preferred Wi-Fi network on campus, eduroam is available as an alternative. It is especially useful when traveling to other participating institutions. 

Learn more: eduroam 

Orientation Week is just around the corner, running from 10 – 14 February. But did you know that activities supporting the transition of students start much earlier than this? 

Activities and engagement from a range of teams and services and the Student Association starts months before students arrive on campus, to ensure they feel welcomed and supported in their first year. For example: 

Please contact the Student Life Team who centrally coordinates this period if you have any questions student.life@anu.edu.au and check out the Orientation Week website to see what’s on offer for new students.

Do you have an article or event for On Campus? We’d love to hear from you.

Please submit content seven business days ahead of the On Campus edition you’d like to feature in, using our online form.

For example, to include content in the Tuesday 4 February edition, you must make a submission by Monday 27 January.

Questions? Contact the On Campus team at on.campus@anu.edu.au  

ANU Security - (02) 6125 2249 

For life threatening emergencies first call 000 (or 0000 if dialing from an internal phone), then call ANU Security.  

Media hotline 24/7 - (02) 6125 7979 

Contact the 24/7 media hotline for media queries regarding the University and its operations, or to track down experts that aren’t listed in our Experts Guide.  

Help is available if you need it. Whether it's a work-related issue or a personal one, the University encourages you to seek support through the Employee Assistance Program.

If you need to support a student in distress, please refer to this guide that was developed by the Student Safety and Wellbeing team.