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Hi everyone,

Last Friday morning, the cannons sounded, signalling that the Governor-General has prorogued Parliament ahead of the Federal Election on May 3. Between now and May 3, we will see a lot of conversations unfolding nationally about what matters to Australians – and it is clear economic stability remains front and centre for many of us across the country. And regardless of who “wins," our sector is going to continue to face external scrutiny and regulatory interventions that change the way we work. This doesn’t mean we change who we are or what we are here doing each day – but it does mean we will have to consider the changing context around us and continue to evolve and reshape how we continue to do our work against this backdrop. And it means being clear about our value and our values, and about the role we play, as a national institution and a university.

We have a responsibility to convene different conversations than the rest of the sector and build knowledge bridges from our campus to the broader community. One of those roles, stated in our legislation, is to create and transmit knowledge. I also think this means we are the builders of the future, and that is a huge and important responsibility.

Sharing our expertise and insights can take many forms, so as with previous elections, we have stood up the ANU Election Coverage. ANU Election Coverage is a central repository for our experts to explain policy, share their research and host events which create spaces to have these complex discussions. You might already have seen some of our staff explaining voter sentiment, or pre-polling habits. Stay tuned for some special on-campus events too. My thanks to Professor Andrew Meares who is co-ordinating this coverage, in partnership with our Media and Multimedia teams. And a huge thanks to all our staff who have been supporting this body of work.

Even as the electoral campaigning kicked off, this last Saturday was ANU Open Day. Despite the rain, we had more than 3,000 people in attendance, from as far away as the United States. It takes a lot of collective effort to make our campus look its best, ensuring there were signs pointing the way, and so very many rooms full of smart people and engaging activities. So, A HUGE thanks to everyone who was involved to make this day a great showcase of our campus (especially Sarah Parker and Sarah Rickett for an extraordinary coordination effort!). I spoke to a number of people on Saturday who reflected to me that this was their favourite day of the year, and I know why – it is such a happy and hopeful thing to meet students and their parents, and to know that ANU is a place where their lives will change for a better future.

And here’s to hoping that when those students arrive in 2026, we will be ready to re-open University House. I know, like many of you, Uni House is a place of fond memories, and it will be wonderful to have it back online. I was able to tour behind the scenes last week, and the space is truly extraordinary. After the hail damage in 2020, we had choices about how we would rebuild, and I am grateful to Jeremy Matthew and his team for their work and vision. We spent time in the underground tunnels, where more than 60km of wiring is being installed so we can completely integrate 21st century technology into the 20th century design. We are now looking for ways to give some of our community a behind-the-scenes tour, so we can all share in the progress there.

This morning found me at a very different ANU site. Alongside Professor Grady Venville, we were at Kioloa to sign an MoU with the local elders. It is remarkable that ANU has this campus to connect country, land and sea with research and new ways of learning.  It was also special to share this trip with Grady, who finishes up with ANU on Friday. Grady has sat at the many hard tables with me, including in Parliament, and has always shown up for ANU and especially our students. Thank you, Grady, for everything; I will miss you. 😊

Good thoughts to where this may find you.
G