Rindos saga not over: MP
By Michael Day

(picture of "Dr Rindos: Denied tenure in 1993")

The MP who chaired the Rindos inquiry expects the investigation to resume when Parliament resumes in March.

Liberal MLC Barry House said yesterday he expected the public administration committee would complete the inquiry into the University of WA's denial of tenure to archaeology lecturer David Rindos in 1993. Dr Rindos died last month, still fighting the university.

Mr House said he did not know if he would be a member of the committee, which would be dissolved in May when the new Legislative Council was sworn in.

UWA deputy vice-chancellor Alan Robson said the Upper House had been within its rights to hold the inquiry but UWA did not think Parliament should have become involved, a view backed last year by the Australian Vice-Chancellor's Committee.

Political turmoil in the Council has raised speculation whether the inquiry, which failed to make a finding last year, will continue.

Professor Robson said the university would give Parliament a copy of the university senate committee report into university procedures. The report, compiled by external members of the senate with no previous association with the Rindos affair, was presented to the senate on Monday.

It backed vice-chancellor Fay Gale's handling of the affair but recommended some administrative changes. These included giving consideration to an induction process for new department heads, making all avenues of complaint available to students and training supervisors of postgraduate students.

Describing the recommended changes as refinements of existing procedures rather than big changes to policy, Professor Robson said some of them had been introduced and administrators would report to the next senate meeting on progress in introducing the rest.

Editorial, page 12