The Australian National University (ANU) has no record of Julie Bishop declaring her work with MinRes but the university says that she has complied with all requirements.
Last month, mining company MinRes posted an induction video for their new Walters Drive office featuring Julie Bishop as an “ambassador”, since revealed to be working as a strategic adviser to the firm. The video — featuring cameos from AFL player Jeremy McGovern and Grey’s Anatomy actor Kate Walsh — drew criticism given Bishop is also serving as the figurehead for ANU.
Bishop was reappointed for a second term as ANU chancellor in October last year, following a 20-year career as a federal politician.
The ANU adopted a socially responsible investment policy in 2013, which includes excluding companies that derive more than 20% of their revenue from coal. (The decision was heavily criticised by Bishop’s then-colleagues including Joe Hockey and Jamie Briggs). More recently, the ANU’s Below Zero initiative committed to reducing carbon emissions to below zero by 2030.
A freedom of information request submitted to the ANU regarding Bishop and MinRes was refused as staff were unable to find any relevant documents relating to it. Essentially, there’s no paper trail showing that Bishop told the university about her new role and the video.
Crikey put questions to the ANU about whether Bishop had told ANU about her role with MinRes and whether there was a conflict of interest promoting a mining company while the university sought to move away from fossil fuels.
A spokesperson from the ANU simply said: “Please note the chancellor has complied with all university requirements.”
Crikey understands that Bishop has declared work with her firm Julie Bishop & Partners, but is not required to disclose who the firm has worked with.
Bishop did not immediately respond to a request for comment through her firm.
The seven-minute MinRes video, titled “New video shows off our ‘ore-some’ new HQ”, follows Bishop as she shows off the company’s workplace wellness amenities. Notably absent is any mention of the company’s actual extraction work.
“While the video’s humour and use of satire will catch the attention of our new and potential employees, there’s a serious message behind the content,” the video’s description says.
Is this “ore-some” or ore-ful? Let us know your thoughts by writing to letters@crikey.com.au. Please include your full name to be considered for publication. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity.
Universities giving positions of honour and esteem to former LNP politicians are a bit like a dog licking the boot that kicks them. It will only reinforce Liberals’ deep contempt for institutions that they have been de-funding and seeking to weaken since 1996. Conferring prestigious academic titles on people like Bishop and Brandis is craven and disgusting.
Well said! I agree
Especially when they have academic records with which they would struggle to get junior lecturer short term contract
If they don’t do this then the Libs accuse the Universities of being hotbeds of leftist, anti-conservative sentiment.
On the other hand, they do that anyway.
Julie Bishop was also not exactly a paragon of moral guidance during her term in Parliament either. Her behaviour was, at best, occasionally questionable (most infamously, the $30k jet charter incident.) Having her head up the ANU sends the message that anybody will do as long as they’re famous.
While we do need more intelligent women in the senior ranks of our Universities, there are much better candidates.
They would be better off appointing an experienced schoolteacher. You know they would have finished a tertiary degree and extensive contact with students and educators. No background in research, most likely, but it’s not as if Bishop has any such experience.
Julie Bishop was one of the most selfish, corrupt, self absorbed “me! me” politicians that walked the corridors of Federal Parliament.
So now after, retiring from Federal Politics, during her term as Federal MP, she courted private business and enterprises to provide her with a lucrative remuneration and career pathway…..more of the same, from our Julie Bishop!!
Whatever could you mean?
A trip to India with Cousin Jethro and Gambaro as “Rinehart political baubles” – for a wedding-cum-contract signing – slugging us for that return “study(?)” trip.
Arranging various “official functions” to coincide with where her Eagles were playing away from Perth – ‘great PR’?
Misleading parliament over Man Monis’ correspondence with Brandis’ department.
Being fawned over by a media that ignored that public embarrassment side of Her political history.
That sort of thing?
Wasn’t she also responsible for defending the asbestos miner in a bid to block any compensation by those dying as a result of working in the mine?
And in defending such company – probably one of the main reasons she made such a “great” Liberal Party candidate?
Yep…..it is the tip of the iceberg, how Julie Bishop has abused her office when a serving Federal MP, and now the same, since leaving public office…. the gall and aggroance of Bishop, quite, frankly astounds me!!
A shallow narcissist wannabe, deputy liberal leader for a zillion years,night of the long knives on turn all, sparkles throws here hat in the ring, ” nada” 11 votes. So Murdoch has made it his mission to run pr campaign for her, scratch the surface there’s nothing there!
Great assessment of Julie Bishop – there are many more adjectives that can be used!
Well said. She is one of the most over-rated, under-performed, unprincipled and vacuous MPs in recent memory, and those kinds are numerous. Politics, and the ministries and shadow-ministries she held, always took a back seat to the fashion-plate lifestyle and personal entitlement. Chancellorship of ANU, so richly undeserved, will undoubtedly occupy the same niche of (un)importance as she continues along on life’s catwalk.
Well stated, yet another very acurrate appraisal of Julie Bishop!
The dispensing of vanity degrees and appointments at our universities is a scourge of our times. In the recent past, some university communities have resisted some of the more egregious examples. In 1985 Oxford University voted down a proposal to confer an honorary Doctorate degree on Margaret Thatcher after 5,000 students signed a petition against the idea. In 2021, former deputy prime minister and coal mining magnate Mark Vaile abandoned his appointment as chancellor of the University of Newcastle amid a backlash from the community. Julie Bishop could have used her influence to persuade her government to support the precarious teaching and research staff at public universities during the covid lockdowns. As far as I know, she refused. It seems resistance is increasingly futile.
The lowest point was probably the University of Queensland giving an honorary doctorate to the corrupt and despotic Joh Bjelke-Petersen in 1985. Thousands of staff and students protested, but the management and Senate of the university disregarded the protests.
There are other matters, too.
I have just got home from an appointment with my solicitor. I used to work at ANU. In my last will I had left ANU money for medical research. Since then ANU has appointed Julie Bishop as Chancellor. That was offensive enough. But recently ANU made George Brandis a professor – the straw that broke this camel’s back. If they have so much money they obviously do not need mine.
Universities seem to veer between making bad appointments and awarding honorary degrees. I found a more deserving organisation with clients who are really needy – often as a direct result of government policy or mismanagement.
So next time Bishop is on The Project with Waleed Aly – getting a free PR make-over – she won’t be asked about this either?
I used to admire Waleed for his intelligent contributions, but those days are sadly gone.
Waleed must have a big mortgage to pay.
Yep….Waleed has lost all credibility on The Project!!!…. aligning and supporting Julie Bishop’s PR media marketing exercise…
Waleed joins the ranks of other Rupert Murdoch News Corp Muppets!!!
Would that be the Waleed Aly who was flak for the Islamic Council of Victoria, apologist for the Muslim Brotherhood & Hizb ut-Tahrir when it had a bookshop in Sydney?
Like Stan Grant, he knows which side his cheque is buttered by and does not care, so long as it is generous.
One thing’s for certain. Ms Bishop has been exceedingly busy since leaving politics.
Exactly how many “positions” does she hold in exactly how many companies?
Just another click of the Ruby shoes, I guess and she’ll be somewhere else.
For starters, there was her US$600,000 a year position (FT and AFR reports) with the failed and now discredited Greensills corp for which Bishop says she was NOT a lobbyist.
Will she ever be a missionary?
Maggie Merry
She was never in the business of helping people, only herself !