‘Culture of fear’ surrounds Swinburne chancellor, investigation finds

Detailed summary

The confidential report into governance and workplace allegations concerning chancellor John Pollaers found they had “sufficient factual basis”.

A confidential investigation into Swinburne University of Technology’s workplace culture has found fear and mistrust and what it described as an undercurrent of disdain for the chancellor and the governing council, and said former vice chancellor Pascale Quester told the inquiry that she did not feel safe raising concerns.

The review was commissioned last November after current and former Swinburne employees alleged John Pollaers, a former Pacific Brands chief executive who was appointed chancellor in 2019, frequently berated staff and asked them to carry out tasks related to his own interests.

Opening of the article, excerpted from Australian Financial Review. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.