Alyssa White, the head of governance at the University of Wollongong (UOW), admitted during an Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) inquiry on July 9, 2026, that she breached recruitment policies by stacking the university's Governance and Policy Division with close friends and former associates.

The inquiry revealed that some candidates received preferential assistance, including help with position descriptions, resumes, cover letters, and interview preparation. These recruitments took place during a period of significant upheaval at UOW, involving governance reforms and a major restructure that led to hundreds of job cuts.

By December 2023, just four months after starting at UOW, White had secured roles for former University of Sydney colleagues Lucinda Wright, Brendan Hook, Stacey Oon, and Joanne Chen. In a text message to her long-time high school friend Matthew Dawkins, White celebrated her success, writing, "Secured new jobs which is the greatest achievement in my work career by a long long way because we are broke hahaha."

White admitted to installing Dr. Oon as chair of a recruitment panel while remaining involved behind the scenes by advising on interview questions, referees, and recruitment decisions, later acknowledging she had "definitely compromised the process."

She also assisted applications from high school friend and primary school teacher Kayla Powell, former colleague Rosetta Biasi, and another high school friend, Matthew Dawkins, an electrician with no university governance experience before his recruitment.

White expressed hope during her testimony, stating she had support from the vice-chancellor and chancellor to get these recruitments approved, reflecting a belief that "the spirits of the team that was in place was that the time was starting to change, that there was opportunity."

Sources