Margaret Gardner

Viceregal styles of
Margaret Gardner
(2023–present)
Viceregal styles of; Margaret Gardner; (2023–present)
Reference style	Her Excellency the Honourable
Spoken style	Your Excellency

Her Excellency The Honourable
Margaret Gardner
AC FASSA
Her Excellency The Honourable Margaret Gardner AC FASSA
	Gardner in 2023
30th Governor of Victoria
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 9 August 2023
Monarch	Charles III
Premier	Daniel Andrews; Jacinta Allan
Lieutenant	James Angus
Preceded by	Linda Dessau
Vice-Chancellor of Monash University
	In office; 1 September 2014 – 4 August 2023
Preceded by	Ed Byrne
Succeeded by	Sue Elliott (acting)
Vice-Chancellor and President of the; Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
	In office; 4 April 2005 – 1 September 2014
Chancellor	Dennis Gibson; Ziggy Switkowski
Preceded by	Ruth Dunkin
Succeeded by	Martin Bean
Personal details
Born	19 January 1954 (age 70); Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Spouse	Glyn Davis
Residence	Government House, Melbourne
Alma mater	University of Sydney
Profession	Economist
Salary	AU$485,000 as governor
Website	Governor of Victoria

Margaret Elaine Gardner AC FASSA (born 19 January 1954^[1]^[2]) is an Australian academic, economist and university executive serving as the 30th and current governor of Victoria since August 2023.^[3] She was previously the vice-chancellor of Monash University from 2014 to 2023^[4] and the president and vice-chancellor of RMIT University from 2005 to 2014.

Education

Gardner earned a Bachelor of Economics with first class honours from the University of Sydney and later a PhD with a thesis on Australian industrial relations.^{[citation needed]}

After her PhD, Gardner received a Fulbright scholarship and studied at the University of California, Berkeley, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Cornell University.^[5]

Career

Gardner has authored, co-authored and edited a number of texts in the fields of industrial relations and human resource management.^[6] Between 1998 and 2002, as chair of two major Queensland Government taskforces, Gardner authored three government reviews: Queensland Industrial Relations Legislation, Pathways Articulation Through the Post-Compulsory Years of School to Further Education Training and Labour Market Participation.^{[citation needed]}

Gardner served in executive positions with Deakin University, Griffith University and the Queensland University of Technology.^[5]

Gardner was the deputy vice-chancellor of the University of Queensland.^[5] Gardner was appointed vice-chancellor of RMIT University on 4 April 2005, taking over from care-taker vice-chancellor Chris Whitaker. Prior to Gardner's appointment in 2005, RMIT was experiencing a regular budget shortfall of A$24 million.^[7]^[8] After her first year as vice-chancellor, the university reported a $23.2 million surplus. This surplus increased to A$50.1 million by 2007. The change in financial situations was arranged through selling the university's real estate holdings, increasing student fees by 9% annually, and firing 180 university staff.^[8]^[9]

Gardner was Vice-Chancellor of Monash University from September 2014 until August 2023 when she was appointed as Governor of Victoria. Her salary in 2021 was $1.23m.^[10]

Gardner was Chair of Universities Australia,^[11] President of RMIT International University Holdings Pty. Ltd. and the Museum Board of Victoria, Chair of the Australian Technology Network and of the Education Advisory Group of the Council for Australia-Latin America Relations, and Director of the Australian Teaching and Learning Council.^[12]

Governor of Victoria

On 5 June 2023, it was announced that Gardner would become the next governor of the state of Victoria, commencing on 9 August. Gardner replaced Linda Dessau, whose tenure ended at the end of June. In the interim, the Lieutenant-Governor of Victoria, James Angus, served as acting governor until Gardner's term commenced.^[13]

Controversy

In 2011 whilst Vice-Chancellor of RMIT, Gardner overturned the findings of an internal RMIT Redundancy Review Committee (RRC) and unlawfully terminated the employment of social sciences professor Judith Bessant. The RRC found that fair process had not been followed by the university and that there had been a failure of natural justice. Despite these findings, Gardner decided to proceed to make Bessant redundant.^{[citation needed]}

On behalf of Bessant, the National Tertiary Education Union launched an "adverse action" claim against RMIT and Gardner in the Federal Court of Australia. The presiding judge, Justice Gray, was critical of Gardner's management of the case, especially given her considerable experience in industrial relations.^[14] In deciding the case, Gray also said he took into consideration the "apparent determination" by Gardner to "ignore her knowledge of Professor Hayward's animosity towards Professor Bessant". He also found that Gardner displayed a lack of contrition for what the court found to be a blatant contravention of workplace laws.

The Federal Court reinstated Bessant and indicated that she would be entitled to approximately $2 million in compensation if she was not reinstated. The court also ordered RMIT to pay a civil penalty of $37,000 for two contraventions of the Fair Work Act 2009 as a warning to employers of the risks of using "sham" redundancies as a means for dismissing difficult employees. The case was reported in the national media in addition to becoming an important case study that is widely discussed on legal websites.^[15]^[16]^[17]^[18] Bessant later published a personal account of the case.^[19]

Honours

Orders

26 January 2020: Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) "For eminent service to tertiary education through leadership and innovation in teaching and learning, research and financial sustainability."^[20]
26 January 2007: Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) "For service to tertiary education, particularly in the areas of university governance and gender equity; and to industrial relations in Queensland".^[21]

Organisations

September 2018: Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia.^[22]

Appointments

2023: Colonel of the Royal Victoria Regiment.
2023: Deputy Prior of the Order of St John.^[23]

Awards

2022: Honorary doctorate, Griffith University^[22]

Personal life

Gardner is married to Glyn Davis who is the secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet in the Albanese government and was previously vice-chancellor of the University of Melbourne.^[24]

References

^ "Who is Glyn Davis Wife? Who is Margaret Gardner? Kids & Dating History - HIS Education". 12 December 2023.
^ "Index Ga-Gb".
^ "Premier Announces 30th Governor of Victoria". Governor of Victoria. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
^ Preiss, Benjamin (18 December 2013). "RMIT University vice-chancellor Margaret Gardner set to be first woman to lead Monash University". The Age.
^ ^a ^b ^c Professor Margaret Gardner, AO Archived 31 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine - RMIT University
^ Author: Gardner, Margaret Elaine - National Library of Australia
^ RMIT's new chief one of a vice-chancellor pair (David Rood) - The Age, 22 January 2005
^ ^a ^b Picking up the poisoned chalice (David Rood) - The Age, 9 April 2005
^ RMIT is back in the black Archived 19 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine (Lisa MacNamara) - The Australian, 2 May 2007
^ "A crisis in university governance: Every Vice-Chancellors' salary, ranked". Honi Soit. 15 August 2022. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
^ "Professor Margaret Gardner elected next chair of Universities Australia".
^ "Universities Australia".
^ Eddie, Rachel (5 June 2023). "'I'm a republican': Margaret Gardner named next governor of Victoria". The Age. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
^ "National Tertiary Education Union v Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology [2013] FCA 451". Federal Court of Australia. 16 May 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
^ "RMIT professor unfairly sacked". The Sydney Morning Herald. 19 May 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
^ "RMIT ordered to reinstate Professor Judith Bessant". The Australian. 21 May 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
^ "What a shame it's a sham". Hunt and Hunt. 8 October 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
^ "Sham Redundancies". Retrieved 15 December 2016.
^ Margaret Thornton, ed. (2014). "'Smoking Guns': Reflections on Truth and Politics in the University" (PDF). Through a Glass Darkly: The Social Sciences Look at the Neoliberal University". Retrieved 25 November 2016.
^ "Professor Margaret Elaine GARDNER AO". Australian Honours Search Facility. Australian Government. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
^ 2007 Australia Day Honours: Media Notes Archived 27 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine - Office of the Governor-General of Australia
^ ^a ^b "Top scholars honoured: Academy of Social Sciences elects new fellows in 2018" (PDF). Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia. 26 September 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2018.
^ "Understanding the Most Venerable Order of St John" (PDF). Governor of New South Wales. 12 December 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
^ "The thinking Australian's Posh and Becks" (David Cohen), The Guardian, 10 January 2006.

Academic offices
Preceded by Ruth Dunkin	Vice-Chancellor of RMIT University 2005–2014	Succeeded by Martin Bean
Preceded by Ed Byrne	Vice-Chancellor of Monash University 2014–2023	Succeeded by Sue Elliott (acting)
Government offices
Preceded by Linda Dessau	Governor of Victoria 2023–present	Incumbent

[1] "Who is Glyn Davis Wife? Who is Margaret Gardner? Kids & Dating History - HIS Education". 12 December 2023.

[2] "Index Ga-Gb".

[3] "Premier Announces 30th Governor of Victoria". Governor of Victoria. Retrieved 6 June 2023.

[4] Preiss, Benjamin (18 December 2013). "RMIT University vice-chancellor Margaret Gardner set to be first woman to lead Monash University". The Age.

[RMIT1-5] Professor Margaret Gardner, AO Archived 31 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine - RMIT University

[6] Author: Gardner, Margaret Elaine - National Library of Australia

[TheAge1-7] RMIT's new chief one of a vice-chancellor pair (David Rood) - The Age, 22 January 2005

[TheAge2-8] Picking up the poisoned chalice (David Rood) - The Age, 9 April 2005

[TheAU1-9] RMIT is back in the black Archived 19 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine (Lisa MacNamara) - The Australian, 2 May 2007

[10] "A crisis in university governance: Every Vice-Chancellors' salary, ranked". Honi Soit. 15 August 2022. Retrieved 18 June 2023.

[11] "Professor Margaret Gardner elected next chair of Universities Australia".

[12] "Universities Australia".

[13] Eddie, Rachel (5 June 2023). "'I'm a republican': Margaret Gardner named next governor of Victoria". The Age. Retrieved 5 June 2023.

[14] "National Tertiary Education Union v Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology [2013] FCA 451". Federal Court of Australia. 16 May 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2016.

[15] "RMIT professor unfairly sacked". The Sydney Morning Herald. 19 May 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2016.

[16] "RMIT ordered to reinstate Professor Judith Bessant". The Australian. 21 May 2013. Retrieved 28 November 2016.

[17] "What a shame it's a sham". Hunt and Hunt. 8 October 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2016.

[18] "Sham Redundancies". Retrieved 15 December 2016.

[19] Margaret Thornton, ed. (2014). "'Smoking Guns': Reflections on Truth and Politics in the University" (PDF). Through a Glass Darkly: The Social Sciences Look at the Neoliberal University". Retrieved 25 November 2016.

[iahref-20] "Professor Margaret Elaine GARDNER AO". Australian Honours Search Facility. Australian Government. Retrieved 26 January 2020.

[21] 2007 Australia Day Honours: Media Notes Archived 27 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine - Office of the Governor-General of Australia

[fellow-22] "Top scholars honoured: Academy of Social Sciences elects new fellows in 2018" (PDF). Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia. 26 September 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2018.

[23] "Understanding the Most Venerable Order of St John" (PDF). Governor of New South Wales. 12 December 2014. Retrieved 24 August 2018.

[24] "The thinking Australian's Posh and Becks" (David Cohen), The Guardian, 10 January 2006.

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Margaret Gardner

Education

Career

Governor of Victoria

Controversy

Honours

Personal life

References

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