Alyssa White begins ICAC evidence with recruitment admissions
Former UOW governance chief admits she sought to recruit former University of Sydney colleagues.
Former University of Wollongong Chief Governance Officer Alyssa White has begun giving evidence at the Independent Commission Against Corruption’s Operation Scandi inquiry, conceding she actively sought to recruit three former University of Sydney colleagues to the university’s Governance and Policy Division.
Under questioning from Counsel Assisting Emma Bathurst on Wednesday, Ms White accepted she sought to recruit former colleagues Lucinda Wright, Brendan Hook and Dr Stacy Oon after leaving the University of Sydney, and agreed that by December 2023 it was her intention they would all join UOW.
The inquiry was shown a Microsoft Teams exchange in which Ms White told colleague Lucinda Wright: “With Brendan and Jo we will be able to get there.”
Ms White said the message was intended as reassurance that additional staff were coming. However, she accepted that she and Ms Wright expected Mr Hook, Ms Chen and Dr Oon would join the Governance and Policy Division, and agreed that an independent observer could perceive a conflict of interest in their sitting on the recruitment panels.
Ms White agreed that she and Ms Wright should have removed themselves from those recruitment panels, accepting that this would have been consistent with the university’s conflict-of-interest and recruitment policies.
Earlier in her evidence, Ms White admitted she gave Ms Wright an advantage during a separate recruitment process by reviewing her application, providing feedback on her CV and cover letter, and supplying interview questions in advance.
She agreed those actions advantaged Ms Wright over other candidates and accepted she should have made a fuller written declaration of their relationship.
The inquiry also heard Ms White understood the university’s conflict of interest policies required staff to declare actual, perceived and potential conflicts, including friendships that could give rise to perceptions of bias. She told the inquiry she had read and understood those policies after they were updated in late 2023.
Ms White described herself as an “inclusive” and “dedicated” leader who left a senior governance role at the University of Sydney to return to her alma mater after then Vice-Chancellor Professor Patricia Davidson convinced her the university needed her help.
She told the inquiry discussions with then Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Sean Brawley, former Chancellor Christine McLachlan and Risk and Audit Committee chair Greg West before she started in October 2023 painted a picture of a governance division under pressure.
She said the University of Sydney had a far more mature governance framework than UOW and described Wollongong as having "very good bones", but said there had been a period where "nothing had been done" before her arrival.
Operation Scandi is investigating whether Ms White or other University of Wollongong staff deliberately subverted recruitment processes for governance roles to benefit people associated with her, and whether former Chancellor Michael Still, Ms White or others improperly awarded or influenced consulting work involving Aspirall Consulting International Pty Ltd.
The inquiry will continue on Thursday, July 9 with Ms White set to begin her second day of evidence.
ICAC has made no findings in Operation Scandi. All named individuals are the subject of allegations at a public inquiry.
