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Former Guyra Shire Council General Manager David Cushway has left his position as chief operating officer at the University of New England (UNE).
His departure follows a restructure of the senior executive team at UNE with Vice-Chancellor Annabelle Duncan confirming Mr Cushway had “separated” from the institution.
In a statement released on Thursday she said that the UNE is going through a period of change.
“This presents a rare window of opportunity to ensure the roles and responsibilities of our senior executives more accurately reflect the core business of the University – teaching and research,” she said.
“The key to our success has been ensuring we are willing to make changes at the right time.”
Mr Cushway was General Manager at Guyra Shire Council prior to taking up the position at UNE in February last year. His time at the University was not without controversy.
A Fairfax investigation last year found Mr Cushway had business dealings with former UNE chancellor and ex-Northern Tablelands MP Richard Torbay, who has been referred to the Independent Commission Against Corruption.
Then Mr Cushway was referred by a parliamentary committee to the Inspector of the Police Integrity Commission. Committee chairwoman Catherine Cusack said the referral was made because information it received “raises serious questions about how complaints made by police officers against other police officers are managed, especially in cases ... concerning superior officers”.
The complaint alluded to an allegedly unauthorised meeting with Mr Cushway, who was then a police superintendent, Mr Torbay and Armidale businessman Phillip Hanna, who had been charged with the attempted murder of his business partner and was in police custody.
The Police Integrity Commission investigated the visit after a complaint was made and found an officer was “counselled” over giving instructions to a junior officer.
At a committee meeting in February, parliamentarians were told a search of the police integrity commission’s database for “Superintendant Cushway” had thrown up 331 results, leading the chairman to conclude the number of “hits” was “a stunning number”.