City of Sydney councillor Matthew Thompson wants to replace university residential colleges with affordable housing

A Sydney councillor has come up with a plan to replace controversial colleges with “a longstanding history of aggressive, sexually violent and dangerous behaviours”.

The expulsion of six private school students has sparked a push to replace controversial university colleges with affordable housing.

Councillor Matthew Thompson, the driving force behind the idea, claims the elite residential institutions are a breeding ground for gang rape and misogyny that cannot be reformed.

He will put a motion to the City of Sydney council on Monday evening, seeking to replace the prestigious colleges with affordable and safe housing.

The explosive motion follows the expulsion of six St Paul’s College students, and the suspension of 21 more, over a shocking incident in which a student was allegedly mocked and gagged with a sex toy.

In his motion, Cr Thompson referred to a 2018 report that found residential university colleges had “a longstanding history of aggressive, sexually violent and dangerous behaviours”, including “gang rape and murder over many decades”.

Inside the halls of St Paul’s College, at the University of Sydney.

If the motion is passed, the council would push for the state government to abolish private residential colleges and replace them with “affordable, accessible, safe housing for students”.

This housing would be publicly or student-owned and run.

City of Sydney councillor Matthew Thompson.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore would also be asked to write to NSW Premier Chris Minns and the state and federal education ministers about the issue, threatening the future of St Paul’, which has counted former prime minister Gough Whitlam among its residents since it opened 167 years ago.

“There is an entrenched culture of misogyny and violence within private residential colleges, with students regularly experiencing sexual assault and aggressive, dangerous acts, including ritual hazing,” Cr Thompson told this masthead.

“For decades, colleges like St Paul’s College have been allowed to fester despite the rapes, gang rapes and even murder that have occurred on their watch.

“The Greens have heard the calls of student activists leading this campaign and we’re calling for these private residential colleges to be abolished.”

St Paul’s College has counted former prime minister Gough Whitlam among its residents.

A student group called the University of Sydney Women’s Collective has led a long-running campaign to abolish such colleges.

The others at the University of Sydney include Mandelbaum House, Sancta Sophia College, St Andrew’s College, St John’s College, St Paul’s College, Wesley College and Women’s College.

Cr Thompson described turning the buildings into affordable housing as a “no-brainer”.

“In the middle of a housing crisis, abolishing these elitist, dangerous colleges to build genuinely affordable housing is a no-brainer,” he said.

Cr Thompson’s motion is set to be determined at a City of Sydney council meeting on Monday evening.

A University of Sydney spokeswoman said it urged anyone who had experienced or witnessed inappropriate behaviour to inform the institutions.

“While our affiliated residential colleges are independent institutions with their own governing bodies established by legislation, we aim to work with them collaboratively given our shared interest in the safety and wellbeing of our students,” she said.

“We treat conduct that occurs at or in connection with a residential college as being related to the university under our policies and codes of conduct.

“And we urge anyone who has experienced or witnessed inappropriate behaviour to let us know so we can provide support, investigate and take appropriate action.”