An ANU spokesperson has confirmed that the ANU will be undertaking an audit of PARSA’s governance, service delivery and financial management “given the current state of affairs and the incredible uncertainty this has created for our students.” This audit will take place in line with the terms of PARSA’s affiliation with the ANU and in accordance with the Student Services and Amenities Fees and the Higher Education Support Act (2003). The representative stated that the audit “is to ensure PARSA is able to deliver vital services and support for our postgraduate community well into the future.”
In a letter addressed to PARSA President Eve Walker and Vice-President Naomi Otoo, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Anderson AO stated that PARSA did not provide sufficient evidence that the “best interests of the postgraduate community have been assured” given the concerns regarding its governance, and that “matters have moved beyond a point where they require intervention by the University, in the interests of all parties.”
The audit will cover PARSA’s financial management of assets including University provided funds, management of University provided data, appropriate use of University provided resources including space, systems and equipment, and the adequacy of service provision provided by PARSA. The Deputy Vice-Chancellor requested no further action be taken by any party in limiting PARSA services or access to spaces and systems provided by the University, as well as no further communication to postgraduates regarding the governance or leadership of PARSA until further notice.
The PARSA offices will be closed from the 29th March to the 1st of April, and will reopen on the 6th of April, citing “unexpected issues” as the reason for its closure.
It is unclear what the future holds for the PARSA board following their dissolution last Friday. More details are expected to be released soon.
Editor’s note (10/4/2021): An earlier version of this article included details about the Student Extracurricular Enrichment Fund (SEEF) that were potentially misleading. This article has since been amended to correct this. We apologise for this error.
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