The head of Australia's Antarctic Division has announced his resignation, four years into the role.
In an internal email sent to staff on Monday afternoon and seen by the ABC, Kim Ellis said he had "decided to move to the next phase" of his life and would retire next month, a year before his contract ends.
Mr Ellis said the past four years had been "some of the most challenging" for the division, dealing with the pandemic, the introduction of new icebreaker Nuyina, and implementing a cultural review.
"In spite of all of this turmoil, your achievements are significant and numerous," he said.
Mr Ellis's resignation comes ahead of the release of findings from a subsequent inquiry into the Antarctic program's culture after a damning external review last year revealed allegations of sexual harassment and unwelcome requests for sex.
Mr Ellis commissioned Professor Meredith Nash to lead a study into the allegations after becoming aware of cultural problems in 2019, and the report revealed women experienced "a range of harassment including uninvited physical contact or gestures, unwelcome requests for sex, sexual comments, jokes or innuendo, intrusive questions, displays of offensive or pornographic material and sex-based insults or taunts and unwanted invitations".
When the Nash review findings were released, Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said she was "gobsmacked" by the report and demanded cultural change, and Mr Ellis said its findings gave the division "real authority to make change in the organisation".
When asked why he did not feel the division had real authority to make changes before the report was released, he said the culture was "self-reinforcing".
There is no suggestion the timing of Mr Ellis's resignation has any connection to the upcoming release of findings.
In his resignation email, Mr Ellis referenced the "significant cultural changes" the division had implemented as a result, saying none of them had been easy and "there is still much more to do".
"There is still much more change to come and I urge you to look after each other, support your leaders and engage with the process," he wrote.
Mr Ellis was appointed to the role in 2019 and was due to finish in February of next year.
The recruiting process for a new leader will begin soon, he said.
