Vice chancellor Mark Scott said he specifically asked NSW police whether Islamic extremist group Hizb ut-Tahrir had infiltrated a pro-Palestinian sit-in at Sydney University earlier this year, as he sought to resolve tensions over the protest without ordering it to be shut down.

Professor Scott on Wednesday also committed the university to fully co-operating with any investigation by the NSW workplace safety regulator into a complaint by a former staff member alleging he failed to adequately protect the welfare of Jewish students and workers.