Yesterday, ANU launched Dhaagun, the University's sixth Environmental Management Plan.

The EMP results from a detailed planning exercise to set goals, targets and an execution plan with the intent to reduce the associated environmental risks and position ANU differently within global sustainability challenges.  

Today, the Australian Network on Disability (AND) announced that ANU has been awarded fourth position among Australia’s top performers in the Access and Inclusion Index.  This recognises the hard work undertaken across the University to improve access and inclusion for the whole ANU community. 

While we have made progress towards being a more inclusive and accessible university, we acknowledge there is still much more to do.

The ANU Disability Action Plan (DAP) 2020-2024 will continue to guide our work for greater inclusion and accessibility, and it is currently being refreshed to ensure that we continue this positive progress. The recommendations from AND will help us to benchmark our continued efforts, particularly in the development of our next DAP which will start early next year. 

We will keep you updated on the progress of both as they develop. If you would like any more information about the DAP please contact the DAP Implementation Officer at bianca.culyer@anu.edu.au.

Events & activities

Tuesday 13 June, 6-7pm 

Former chief scientist Alan Finkel will be in conversation with Ken Baldwin on his new book Powering Up: Unleashing the Clean Energy Supply Chain, in which he shares his compelling insights and expertise and makes the case for Australia leading the way in the global transition to clean energy. 

Register for the Meet the Author with Alan Finkel 

3 April – 16 June 2023 

Double Witness presents a series of 20 video letters by Sydney-based artist Meng-Yu Yan retracing the last days of late queer Taiwanese author Qiu Miaojin in Paris. 

Read more about the Double Witness exhibition 

Wednesday 14 – Friday 16 June, 9am-5pm 

The Australasian Leadership Computing Symposium 2023 (ALCS) is Australasia’s research supercomputing users’ forum, as well as a flagship promotion of High-Performance Computing and Data (HPCD) and artificial intelligence (AI), powered by national infrastructure at scale in Australasia. The symposium will bring together a multidisciplinary mix of scientists for collaborative, technical and network building sessions across three days. 

Register for ALCS 2023

Thursday 22 June, 6-7.30pm 

As Australians prepare to vote on whether to enshrine an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice in the Constitution, join ANU and UC to hear from one of the lead architects of the proposal. 

Professor Tom Calma AO, a Kungarakan Elder, a member of the Iwaidja people, 2023 Senior Australian of the Year and the Chancellor of the University of Canberra, will deliver the ANU Reconciliation Lecture for 2023.  

This year’s lecture is held in partnership with the University of Canberra.  

Register for the ANU Reconciliation Lecture 2023

Wednesday 28 June – Friday 30 June 

The Australasian Association for European History (AAEH) conference will be held from 28 to 30 June 2023. 

AAEH is the premier conference in modern European historical studies in the southern hemisphere. This biennial event brings together scholars of European history from Australia, New Zealand, and all around the world. 

Register for the AAEH Biennial Conference 

ANU Enterprise Bargaining update – Pay offer 

Last week the University presented our pay offer to the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) and bargaining representatives, and proposed a cumulative pay increase of 16.99 per cent over four years. In other words, your salary will be almost 17 per cent higher on the first pay day of 2026 than it was in January 2023.   

This is very competitive offer and places ANU in a strong position relative to our peers in the sector.  

From July we will add an extra half a percent to the 2023 increase of 3.5 per cent already paid in February. You will recall the Vice-Chancellor brought forward the increase to address immediate cost of living pressures so staff would not have to wait for the Enterprise Bargaining process to conclude.   

There will also be a one-off cash payment for continuing, fixed term and continuing (contingent funded) staff when the new agreement comes into force. The proposed payment is $1250 for SM1/Level D staff and below; and $1000 for SM2/Level E and above.  

The offer is then to pay five per cent in January 2024, four per cent in January 2025 and three percent in January 2026. 

If you have any questions, please contact ea.comments@anu.edu.au. 

**********

VC Search – Announcement of Selection Committee 

The search process to appoint the Vice-Chancellor and President is progressing well. We wanted to share the composition of the Selection Committee with the ANU community. 

This Committee has the critical task to engage with Candidates in the formal process and make a recommendation to ANU Council for the appointment. 

- Hon Julie Bishop, Chancellor (Chair) *

- Naomi Flutter, Pro-Chancellor *

- Professor Craig Mortiz, Director, Research School of Biology *

- Professor Lyndall Strazdins, Director, Mental Health Strategy Review *

- Alison Kitchen, National Chairman, KPMG Australia *

- Professor Sarah Pearson, Non-Executive Director *

- Ben Yates, President, ANU Students’ Association *

- Millan Pintos-Lopez, WHS Consultant, Safety & Wellbeing *

- Professor Peter Yu, Vice-President (First Nations)

- Professor Helen Sullivan, Dean, ANU College of Asia and the Pacific

*Denotes ANU Council Member 

The ANU Community is encouraged to continue to give feedback and direct queries relating to the process to VCsearch@anu.edu.au. 

You can also stay up to date with the latest on this process via the VC Search Information Page. 

**********

Welcoming all students back to campus: ANU remote learning options for in-person courses will cease from Semester 2, 2023 

From 1 July 2023, the temporary provision of online options in response to COVID-19 will end. This means that all students enrolled in in-person programs must be present on-campus and attend face-to-face classes. This requirement is in accordance with the Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) Act and Australian government directives. 

If you have international students enrolled in an in-person program that are currently located overseas, please direct them to the latest advice on our COVID-19 webpage. 

**********

ANYOU Survey – Thank you  

Thank you once again to all staff members who participated in the ANU Staff Engagement Survey in March. The feedback has been really insightful to learn what makes the staff experience at ANU great, and areas for improvement. Our senior leaders have now received their results, and are cascading that feedback summary throughout their College and Portfolio teams. Over the next few weeks, you can expect your local leaders to be sharing and discussing the survey feedback with you, as well as communicating actions that will take place as a result of the survey feedback. We will continue to communicate with you in the coming months about progress on actions that are taking place as a result of your feedback.   

Further information is available on the ANYOU Survey webpage showing aggregated results for the whole of ANU. 

The first component of the new research ethics system is live

The Research Ethics Management System (REMS) Board and Project team are pleased to advise that the rDNA component of the new research ethics management system called REMS is now live. 

REMS is a research ethics management system that will assist ANU researchers and committee members manage all ethics dealings/applications and committee information and decisions electronically in one location. 

The remaining two components of REMS will be implemented later this year. 

Human ethics component – late June / July 2023 

Animal ethics component - August 2023 

Additional rDNA ethics information can be found at Ethics SharePoint site 

Information about the REMS project is available here REMS Project 

**********

Final call for applications – Carers' Career Development Assistance Fund (CCDAF) 

A final reminder that applications for CCDAF close this Friday at 5pm. 

The CCDAF is for individual academic and professional staff with caring responsibilities who require support to participate in significant national or international conferences, workshops or symposia that contribute to their careers. 

Apply for the CCDAF 

**********

New records training module now live 

Friday 16 June, 11.30am-12.30pm

This session introduces ANU professional staff to the University’s data governance, principles of good records management, Freedom of Information (FOI), and privacy. 

Attendees will gain an understanding how these principles are relevant to their work, and be introduced to the University’s central repository for information - the Electronic Records Management System (ERMS).   

Register for the Record Keeping, Freedom of Information & Privacy training 

What small steps are you taking to mitigate climate change? 

Did you know that our small everyday actions, compounding over time, can make a big difference to combatting the impacts of climate change?  

Whether it’s having our own compost heap at home or recycling our plastic waste, our individual actions often seem insignificant in the big picture of climate change action.  

That’s why Lily Dempster, an ANU alumna, has created One Small Step, a social enterprise that uses technology and behavioural science to make it easy and rewarding for people to successfully adopt greener habits. 

“You’re more powerful than you realise,” Lily says.  

“If you’re serious about climate change mitigation, and you’re worried about the future of the planet, then there’s a lot you can do.” 

Looking for a quick overview of the latest UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports and what it means for Australia?  

The Institute of Climate, Energy and Disaster Solutions (ICEDS) have developed factsheets that cover off on the report's key findings, climate trends to date, projections and response options for Australia.