[6][7] In August 2020, a freedom of information request from the ABC revealed Rathjen spent more than $277,000 on business travel over four years during his tenure as vice-chancellor.
In May 2020, Rathjen commenced an indefinite leave of absence after University of Adelaide chancellor Kevin Scarce resigned without public explanation the previous day.
[9] Later in the week, the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption (ICAC) confirmed he was investigating allegations of improper conduct by the vice-chancellor of the University of Adelaide.
[15] In determining his findings, the Commissioner relied in part on the personal blog of US journalist Michael Balter who documented Rathjen's prior history of sexual harassment, and was largely responsible for bringing the matter to the public's attention, and ultimately ICAC's.
The ICAC Commissioner's damning findings against Rathjen have put the University of Adelaide's culture under intense scrutiny in both the local and international media.