Julie Bishop resigns as ANU chancellor; Albanese touts $3.8bn for Melbourne’s Suburban Rail Loop

Julie Bishop has resigned as chancellor of the Australian National University, finance minister Katy Gallagher confirmed this morning. Gallagher said the challenges facing the institution did not arise overnight, and that rebuilding trust and confidence across the university community would take time and careful work.

She added that ANU’s leadership and council should work openly with staff, students and the broader community to rebuild confidence and agree on a path forward. Bishop’s departure follows a turbulent period for ANU. The university has faced redundancies, proposed course closures and allegations of a toxic work culture over the past three years.

Less than a year ago, vice-chancellor Prof Genevieve Bell exited the role. At the time, Bishop said there were no grounds for her to step aside and that she had the full backing of the council to continue her tenure until 2026. She argued then that the university’s financial difficulties predated the current leadership and were not unique to ANU.

Bishop had also faced pressure from the union, student groups, parts of the academic community and independent senator David Pocock questioning her future. Labor senator Tony Sheldon was among her critics, citing sweeping restructures, rising dissatisfaction among students and staff, and a lack of transparency on governance concerns during her tenure.

Some forced job cuts and elements of the restructure have since been walked back under interim vice-chancellor and provost Rebekah Brown. At least 399 redundancies have been taken since the restructure began in 2024. The higher education regulator, TEQSA, has an ongoing review into ANU’s governance and financial sustainability.

Separately, in Melbourne, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, touted an additional $3.8bn in budget funding for the Suburban Rail Loop, the city’s controversial and costly 90km public transport project. Albanese told reporters the funding would flow on Tuesday night and said the Commonwealth and Victoria had negotiated constructively to ensure the project proceeds.

He argued the cost of not building major infrastructure is higher, pointing to congestion and the need for housing near public transport, and noted that major cities such as Paris, New York and London have rail networks that do not all converge on a single central station.

Full details of the federal funding are expected on Tuesday night. At ANU, Gallagher said the task ahead remains rebuilding confidence across the university by engaging openly and constructively with the campus community.