Bennett's Beat

Just as well the University of WA is not a bank.

You may have trouble getting your money back.

UWA is developing a reputation for misplacing things, particularly important documents.

A few months ago this column revealed how UWA lost the personnel file of academic Dr David Rindos, who is fighting a tenure dismissal battle with UWA.

His file was located eventually in the Freedom of Information Office in Perth.

It now seems that submissions to one of the inquiries into the Rindos affair have also gone walkabout.

UWA's senior legal officer, Linda Key, has revealed to a UWA Senate Inquiry into the Rindoss matter that she cannot find submissions to the Clyde/Hotop report, which looked into the behaviour of controversial archaeologist Sandra Bowdler.

According to Linda, the (40-odd) submissions have vanished.

"The submissions on the basis of which Professor Clyde and Hotop gave their report have, in my view, either been destroyed or stolen from the Human Resources storage cupboard where they were last sited or, but less likely, the FOI cooridinator's room," Linda wrote.

"I have made extensive inquiries in an effor to locate the submissions," she added.

"Despite these inquiries and the searches I have had initiated they have not been located."