University of Sydney hands down review into defence investments after Gaza encampment demand
The University of Sydney has been told to strike out its military munitions-related investments, in a report prepared at the demand of Gaza protesters.
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The University of Sydney should wind back investments in military munitions and other defence industry products in light of the war in Gaza, an external review has recommended.
In response to the findings of the Investment Policies Review Working Group, submitted to the university senate last Friday, Chancellor David Thodey did not adopt its recommendations outright but said the administration would “consider our response to these complex issues”.
Among the recommendations in its 20-page report, the working group found the University of Sydney should “unwind all of its investments and not make any future investments” in “direct equity holdings in assets” or “publicly traded investment instruments” that “derive revenue” from items on the federal government’s defence and strategic goods munitions list.
That list currently includes firearms, bombs, missiles, chemical warfare agents, military aircraft and body armour among its dozens of heavily regulated items.
The working group was established last September as part of a deal struck between the university administration and pro-Palestine student protesters, who had occupied the front lawns of the Camperdown campus for eight weeks in 2024.
The Gaza encampment also demanded that a member of the Sydney University Muslim Students’ Association be included on the panel, alongside human rights experts and a retired senior officer of the Australian Army.
Despite not mentioning the conflict in Gaza by name in his response, the Chancellor noted that the submissions — the vast majority of which were written by students, staff and alumni — “conveyed a strong desire … to divest from defence- and security-related investments given ethical and human rights concerns”.
The review did not extend to other engagements with the defence industry such as research or philanthropy.
However, Mr Thodey said as part of the university’s “next steps” other policies “need to be reviewed and may need to be updated to ensure coherence and consistency”.
“We remain resoundingly committed to open inquiry including teaching and research in defence- and security-related areas and we value our industry partnerships,” Mr Thodey wrote.
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Originally published as University of Sydney hands down review into defence investments after Gaza encampment demand
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