Woman at centre of university corruption claims fronts ICAC inquiry

Alyssa White, whose conduct has featured prominently throughout the ICAC inquiry, gives evidence on day 13 of the hearings. (Supplied: NSW ICAC)

Alyssa White has told the ICAC inquiry she left a better-paid senior role at the University of Sydney because she believed her alma mater needed help improving governance.

The former chief governance officer later admitted helping a friend and former subordinate through a recruitment process.

The woman at the centre of allegations about biased recruitment practices at the University of Wollongong (UOW) has told the state's corruption watchdog she took the job as chief governance officer because her alma mater needed help.

Former UOW governance officer Alyssa White was today in the witness box at the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) inquiry, which has heard her accused of manipulating recruitment processes to stack the department with "close friends and former associates".

It was told some received "preferential assistance" including help with position descriptions, resumes, cover letters and interview preparation.

The ICAC inquiry has also heard concerns about Ms White's role in the creation of a new $400,000-a-year executive position that she herself expected to fill.

Ms White today told the ICAC inquiry she had reservations about leaving Sydney University, where she held a senior governance role and saw future opportunities.

But she said UOW had given her a commerce degree, a management cadetship and a start to her career.

Ms White described a university with governance systems that were less "mature" than those at Sydney and said she encountered highly manual processes when she arrived.

"Wollongong had very good bones … there had been a period of time where nothing had been done in waiting for my arrival," she said.

The inquiry heard she was discussing the future shape of the Governance and Policy Division within days of accepting the role.

The ICAC inquiry examining recruitment practices and governance at the University of Wollongong has heard evidence from former chief governance officer Alyssa White for the first time. (ABC Illawarra: Sarah Moss)

Four days after signing her contract, Ms White sent then-deputy-vice-chancellor Sean Brawley a proposed staffing structure showing how she believed vacant and soon-to-be-vacant positions should be reorganised.

"He'd said to me, 'if you had that much money, how would you spend it?'" she said.

The inquiry heard Ms White say it "wasn't a secret" she told colleagues when leaving Sydney if they wanted to work with her at Wollongong they s