'Overly litigious, combative' CIT chief referred for public sector probe

Report recommends CIT chief be investigated for potentially undermining public service standards Thu 6 Aug 2026 at 2:45pm In short: An ACT Legislative Assembly committee report finds the Canberra Institute of Technology CEO should be investigated by the Public Sector Standards Commissioner. The committee was looking into whether Margot McNeill gave false or misleading evidence to a previous inquiry into her recruitment. But it said it could not make conclusions as it considered Dr McNeill to be uncooperative and unnecessarily legalistic. The chief executive of Canberra's Institute of Technology (CIT) has been recommended to the Public Sector Standards Commissioner over concerns her "overly litigious and combative" approach to inquiries about her appointment is inconsistent with public sector values. An ACT Legislative Assembly committee has been looking into whether CEO Margot McNeill gave false or misleading evidence to an inquiry into her recruitment to CIT. But it was unable to arrive at any conclusion, according to a report tabled on Thursday, because of Dr McNeill's "continued refusal to engage". Dr McNeill's appointment as CIT chief executive was brought into question earlier this year after revelations to the ACT Integrity Commission that she had failed to disclose an investigation into misconduct in her previous role at TAFE NSW. It prompted an assembly probe into her recruitment, at which Dr McNeill gave evidence that she had been instructed by her former employer not to make public details about TAFE NSW's misconduct investigation. But a day after the report's findings were made public in May, TAFE NSW released a media statement directly contradicting Dr McNeill's evidence, arguing that it had never barred Dr McNeill from disclosing the existence of an investigation. That triggered a further probe by an assembly committee, tasked with determining whether Dr McNeill was in contempt by giving false and misleading evidence to the committee and failing to produce documents. But it was unable to get answers. "Dr McNeill has refused to provide any legal advice she relied upon citing legal professional privilege,"the report said. "TAFE NSW, citing ongoing legal action, has refused to provide any information that could verify their media statement, and to corroborate or refute the evidence provided by Dr McNeill." The committee imposed an order on Dr McNeill to produce any advice she had received about disclosing the TAFE NSW investigation to the CIT Board, adding that that was a rare move for inquiries which preferred the wilful cooperation of witnesses. While Dr McNeill provided some documents, she relied on a letter from her lawyers claiming other material was protected by legal professional privilege, while simultaneously submitting there were no further relevant documents to produce. The committee described that argument as "confusing at best, and deliberately obstructive at worst." "The assertion of legal professional privilege over apparently non-existent documents was also fundamentally unhelpful and could be perceived as an attempt to mislead, distract, and obstruct this committee's attempts to seek further information,"the report said. "The committee rejects assertions by Dr McNeill's legal representatives that a claim of legal professional privilege is a valid reason for not complying with an order of a parliamentary committee," the report said. It also criticised Dr McNeill's "overly legalistic" approach to the initial inquiry, known as the PAA Committee, investigating her recruitment to CIT. "Tiresome and unwarranted attempts to instruct and threaten this committee about its powers and scope of inquiry were neither helpful nor welcome,"the report said. "Despite Dr McNeill's insistence and consistent attempt to treat this inquiry as a litigious process, the committee has no desire to enter into a further "tit for tat" exchange with Dr McNeill's legal representatives," the report said. Concerns conduct undermines ACT public service The committee said it expected senior public servants, including those representing CIT, to engage with the assembly in a way that complies with public sector duties. In making its two findings, the committee specified that Dr McNeill's conduct raised concerns about whether her conduct undermined the integrity and reputation of the public service. It recommended the Public Sector Standards Commissioner investigate whether Dr McNeill's conduct was inconsistent with the Public Sector Management Act and the Public Sector Code of Conduct. Former Commonwealth department secretary Andrew Metcalfe was appointed the Public Sector Standards Commissioner in October last year. Dr McNeill remains on leave from CIT. Independent MLA Thomas Emerson said the report's findings strengthened his concerns about Dr McNeill's ongoing tenure as CEO. "Dr McNeill has been afforded every opportunity to clear the air, and yet another committee process has been obstructed by her refusal to do so," he said in a statement. "Due process is important, but so too is the appropriate use of public funds and the integrity of our public institutions." CIT has been contacted for comment.