Im Jänner 2014 berichtete „The Australian“ über eine Entschuldigung des Rektors der Macquarie University in Sydney an unser Vorstandsmitglied Alfred Gerstl.
Alfred hat von Mitte 2007 bis Ende 2009 an dieser Uni Internationale Sicherheitspolitik unterrichtet. Gemeinsam mit fünf Kollegen seines Instituts beklagte er sich in den zuständigen Uni-Gremien u.a. über Mobbing, die Einstellungspraktiken und Schikanierung an seinem Institut, das von einem ehemaligen Minister für Polizei und Gesundheit in New South Wales geleitet wurde. Der NSW-Ombudsmann und die Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) stellten fest, dass die Universität diese Vorwürfe nicht ordnungsgemäß untersucht hatte, und bestätigten zahlreiche Vorwürfe: „The eventual report stopped short of finding corruption, but uncovered a litany of administrative and procedural failings, `ad hoc, almost chaotic´ staffing, bullying and victimisation of staff, conflicts of interest and unqualified people appointed to jobs without a merit selection process“, schreibt Mike Coultan in „The Australian„.
Der Artikel vom 22. Jänner 2014 im Wortlaut:
Four years on, Macquarie apologises for bullying
Mark Coultan
ALMOST four years after receiving a report on staff bullying at the Centre for Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism, run by the former NSW Labor minister Peter Anderson, Macquarie University has apologised to one of the affected staff.
Alfred Gerstl received a written apology last week from Bruce Dowton, who was not in office when the events occurred.
Dr Gerstl was one of nine staff – out of 12 – who complained about bullying, recruitment of staff, victimisation and other irregularities under Mr Anderson’s management. Eight of the staff ended up resigning while one did not have her contract renewed. The Australian revealed in 2011 that the NSW Ombudsman and the Independent Commission for Corruption became involved in the dispute after the university failed to act on the complaints of the staff.
The eventual report stopped short of finding corruption, but uncovered a litany of administrative and procedural failings, „ad hoc, almost chaotic“ staffing, bullying and victimisation of staff, conflicts of interest and unqualified people appointed to jobs without a merit selection process.
Professor Dowton wrote to Dr Gerstl acknowledging complaints that had not been dealt with by the university administration, and that an inquiry had upheld their complaints. He said: „I wish to apologise on behalf of the university for any past failure to respond appropriately to the matters you have raised.“
Dr Gerstl, who lectured in international security studies at the centre, said he was happy with the apology from the university, despite the delay, but was still concerned other former staff members had not received the same courtesy. The university had told him this was because it had not received requests from the others.
In response to The Australian’s inquiries about why it had taken so long for an apology, the university said it did not „wish to make public comment on individual personnel matters and does not release correspondence between itself and individual members of its staff.“
Dr Gerstl said that, in his case, being forced to leave the centre was particularly onerous as he was left without a job or a work visa. He had to return to his native Austria, with nowhere to live, and has only in recently found a permanent post at the University of Vienna. He reactivated his complaint on a return holiday to Australia in 2012.
Former vice-chancellor Steven Schwartz responded to the inquiry’s findings in 2010 by accepting some of the recommendations, but complaining that the report had gone beyond its scope, had not acknowledged that some of the allegations made against Mr Anderson were false, and others had already been acted on.
In the four years since the completion of the report, which was supervised by the Independent Commission Against Corruption, the vice-chancellor, Mr Anderson and the staff have left the university.
Mr Anderson finished at the Centre for Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism at the end of last year.
He was a minister for police and health in the Wran era, and a one-time aspirant to the premier’s job.