University of Sydney to review defence and security investments
The University of Sydney will set up a working group to review its investment portfolio related to defence and security in the greatest concession yet to demands of pro-Palestine protestors.
On Tuesday, the vice chancellor, professor Mark Scott, wrote to the university community following a second meeting with representatives of the protest encampment alongside the provost, professor Annamarie Jagose.
Scott said management was “committed to genuinely responding to the deeply held concerns of the encampment”. The University of Melbourne and Curtin University have agreed to disclosed their research ties, but not divest.
We will undertake a review of our investment portfolio ... prior to a Senate divestment discussion ... this is the same process that led to our institutional decision to divest from modern slavery, cluster munitions, fossil fuels and tobacco.
The university will also double its expenditure over three years to support academics and PhD students under the Scholars at Risk program, and expand its truth-telling processes with “reference to current events and their historical relevance”.
The offer, “more comprehensive than offers accepted by other encampments around the country”, will be conditional on an agreed timeline to clear the camp from campus.
Students will have until 3pm on Thursday to respond.
What we learned today, Tuesday 28 May
And that’s where we’ll leave you this evening, folks. Here’s a snippet of what happened today:
The foreign minister, Penny Wong, has condemned the “death and destruction” in Rafah as “horrific” and says her message to the Israeli government is: “This cannot continue.”
The global president of Médecins Sans Frontières, Dr Christos Christou, told Australian media he and MSF staff are exhausted and the message – that medical aid and the ability to transfer patients outside of Gaza for treatment is desperately needed – is not getting through.
The Greens have given notice of a plan to put recognition of Palestinian statehood to a vote in the House of Representatives tomorrow.
Anthony Albanese has told Labor MPs that cabinet’s work is now concentrating on “crafting the offer for a second term”, as ministers get out and sell the budget’s key measures to voters.
The attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, met with his shadow counterpart, Michaelia Cash, to discuss the religious discrimination bill today, but negotiations have since hit some snags.
Peter Dutton targeted Labor over visa cancellations in question time.
In Senate estimates, the coordinator general of the National Emergency Management Agency stressed the need to prepare for the next high-risk weather season.
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, announced some changes to her outer ministry, including the introduction of a parliamentary secretary for “men’s behaviour change”.
Student protesters at the Australian National University have relocated their pro-Palestine camp after a request from the university.
WA police have launched an internal investigation after the daughter of the man who killed two women on Friday night in Perth claimed officers “ignored” multiple warnings from her about her father’s guns.
The emergency management minister, Murray Watt, said Australian technical experts will be flying to Papua New Guinea to help after the landslide.
And the ABC has dismissed claims by News Corp that the ABC board held “emergency talks over Laura Tingle outburst”.
Thanks so much for your company this evening. Politics Live will be back bright and early again tomorrow. See you then.
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