Chancellor quits days before ICAC appearance as interim vice chancellor ‘can’t recall’

The University of Wollongong’s former interim vice chancellor told the corruption watchdog that he “couldn’t recall” on at least 19 occasions on Friday, as the university’s chancellor Michael Still announced his sudden resignation days before he is to appear before the Independent Commission Against Corruption.

John Dewar’s appointment and how the university managed his conflict of interest with KordaMentha, a consulting firm at which he was a partner and which won work at the university, is a key prong of the corruption watchdog’s interrogation of the university.

Another prong is whether Still or other staff had improperly awarded work to a consulting firm called Aspirall Consulting and whether chief governance officer and secretary Alyssa White – who herself quit two days before the public hearing began – or any other UOW staff had been “intentionally subverting recruitment processes” to benefit White’s friends.

Earlier on Friday, Still – who will next week find himself in the crosshairs of ICAC – announced he was quitting the post.

“To best serve the interests of the university, its staff and students, and to ensure that leadership renewal can occur without interruption, I have decided that I should resign from council effective immediately,” Still said.

Under sustained questioning from counsel assisting Emma Bathurst yesterday, Dewar couldn’t recall why he had sent documents to his personal address then on to colleagues at KordaMentha (banned under his secondary employment clause); whether he had attended particular meetings; or whether he had written an email sent from his address.

He had “completely forgotten” that he had provided feedback on a KordaMentha tender to the university, which was also banned under the secondary employment clause designed to prevent Dewar’s role as vice chancellor from advantaging KordaMentha, until Bathurst presented emails showing exactly that.

After conceding he had made changes to the document, Dewar said: “I’d suggest they were more cosmetic than anything”.

He had, she suggested, ignored the clauses and aided KordaMentha in its proposal.

“That’s an ungenerous way of putting it, the assistance I gave was minimal,” he responded.

On Thursday, Dewar said that as the university was wooing him to take the role, Still said it was “very likely” that his consulting firm would win the work.

In July 2024, KordaMentha won the work.