Election to Council of one academic staff member

Election to Council of one Academic Staff Member

Council Election 2025 - Academic Staff (Faculties Member) – Casual Vacancy 

Following the resignation of Dr Liz Allen as a member of Council, it was necessary to hold a casual vacancy election in order to elect one member of the academic staff of The Faculties to Council.

The ANU Council is the governing body of the University.  The role of the ANU Council and its committees is to ensure effective overall governance and management of the University.  There are currently 15 positions on the ANU Council consisting of the Chancellor, the Vice-Chancellor, members elected by the academic and professional staff, undergraduate and postgraduate students as well as seven external members appointed by the Federal Minister for Education.  The Chair of the Academic Board is a non-voting member of the ANU Council.

Report of the Returning Officer on the election a member of Council by members of the Academic Staff of the University 2025

The 2025 election of a member of Council by members of the academic staff (The Faculties) of the University was held in accordance with the Australian National University Act 1991, the Australian National University (Governance) Statute 2024 and the Governance Rule 2023.

Six candidates in total were nominated for the available position on Council.  All candidates and their nominators were checked against the academic staff roll comprising those holding a full-time or part-time standard or fixed term academic staff appointment in the University, of or above the grade of academic level A, on payday 10 April 2025 and who were paid a salary by the University on that day. All nominations were in order. 

The nominated candidates were: 

Academic Staff (Faculties) member

• Professor Penny Kyburz
• Dr Francis Markham
• Professor Rohan Pitchford
• Associate Professor Dale Roberts
• Associate Professor Bryan Wang
• Distinguished Professor Asmi Wood

An electronic ballot was conducted, using the University’s APOLLO system. By the close of the poll at 5pm on Thursday 15 May, 596 academic staff had registered a vote. 

The electronic count was due to be held at 2pm on Friday 16 May, but was rescheduled due to widespread ANU system outages on that day.  It was instead conducted by the Returning Officer and the Corporate Governance and Risk Office via a Zoom videoconference at 10.00am on Monday 19 May, with three nominated scrutineers in attendance.

Following the count of preferences, I declare the following candidate elected to ANU Council:

Dr Francis Markham as the Academic Staff (Faculties) member

As this is a casual vacancy, Dr Markham will hold office until 29 September 2026.

For more information regarding ANU Council Elections, please direct all enquiries to me via email returning.officer@anu.edu.au.

Leslie McDonald

Returning Officer

Corporate Governance & Risk Office

19 May 2025