Following the Gaza solidarity encampment’s efforts, USyd committed to forming a working group to investigate their investments and research ties. Though it is impossible to predict how discussions will play out, Honi has dug into the members’ political positions, and previously expressed opinions on Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) schemes, and thoughts on Zionism. These personal positions will inevitably inform negotiations and the group’s conclusions on USyd’s investment policies.
USyd has revealed the members of the Investment Policies Review Working Group are: Dr Simon Longstaff AO, Professor Justine Nolan, Stephen Dunne, Lisa Jackson Pulver, Bryson Constable, and Muhammad Yaseen. Major General Paul Symon, a previous Director of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service, has decided to step down from the group. On Thursday 03 October, and after the publication of this article, Lieutenant General Greg Bilton was appointed to the Investment Policies Review Working Group.
The Working Group is taking staff and student submissions until 5pm Friday October 4.
Dr Simon Longstaff AO — Chair of the Working Group
Dr Longstaff is a philosopher and the Executive Director of the Ethics Centre. Longstaff’s ethical examinations have been published in the Jewish Independent, including his views on the encampment protests and the rise of anti-semitism and Islamophobia. The Jewish Independent is a publication that vocally supports the existence of the State of Israel.
Both articles reveal a fence-sitting attitude. His article on the encampment broaches various incidents in very vague terms, to be as minimally inflammatory as possible. For example, when condemning certain behaviours at the encampment, he refers to those perpetrators as “those…who deliberately seek to cause as much harm as they can inflict”. The ambiguity shapes the article as a dog whistle to Zionists unhappy with some of the encampment’s more provocative strategies. The later rhetoric supports this, “A protester is someone who stands alone or, with others, to present or represent a point of view. Its purpose should not be to silence others – either by intimidating them or drowning them out.”
On the rise of anti-semitism and Islamophobia, he writes: “I am deeply disturbed by the significant surge in antisemitic behaviour and a resurgence in Islamophobia. I know that the phenomena are real – as I have heard personal testimony from friends. Furthermore, the world has seen how latent antisemitism, in particular, can metastasise into some of the worst evil that humanity is capable of.”
Though Longstaff’s philosophical experience is strong, his position as Chair of the working group suggests it may engage in debates on the ethics of divestment and the impacts on students.
Professor Justine Nolan
Professor Nolan is the Director of the Australian Human Rights Institute, and a Law Professor at UNSW. The institute’s main research projects surround modern slavery, with no active research project dedicated to Gaza or Palestine. However, the institute has hosted webinars on the famine in Gaza and published blog posts on various issues in Palestine, such as period poverty. Nolan has experience on the Australian Government’s Modern Slavery Expert Advisory Group and the Australian Government’s Multi-Stakeholder Advisory Group on Business and Human Rights.
One of Nolan’s research interests is corporate responsibility and socially-conscious investments. She co-wrote the journal article, “Corporate Responsibility for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights: Rights in Search of a Remedy?” in 2009. The article emphasises the significance of socially-conscious investing, opening with: “It is no longer a revelation that companies have some responsibility to uphold human rights.” Considering the university acts much like a corporate body, it is likely Nolan will apply similar principles in discussions about the university’s investments.
Stephen Dunne
Stephen Dunne holds various Board positions, including the Chair of the QIC Natural Capital Investment Committee, Chair of the Investors Group on Climate Change (IGCC) and Director & Chair of the Investment Committee for the Cbus Super Fund, and previously was CEO at AMP Capital Investors. Dunne is a Chartered Financial Analyst, Senior Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia (Finsia) and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD).
Dunne has worked in investment management for over 30 years, in both international and domestic spheres. He was also described by Greening Australia, an independent environmental enterprise, as having a “deep understanding of sustainability and experience embedding sustainability into investment and business operations.”
Cbus is, as of May 2024, reviewing ties to weapons manufacturers with links to Israel, such as Lockheed Martin and RTX, suggesting that Dunne has been involved in this investment review process before. Dunne’s knowledge and experience in investments across different corporations is likely to influence his approach to the Working Group.
Lisa Jackson Pulver
USyd’s Deputy Vice Chancellor (Indigenous Strategy and Services) Lisa Jackson Pulver has historically countered local campaigns for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israeli occupation.
In February 2011, Jackson Pulver addressed Marrickville Council about a resolution passed in December 2010 to invoke BDS against Israel. She spoke about her opposition to this resolution, claiming it would, “divide rather than unite our community”.
The Times of Israel reported that she “battled a Sydney municipality in 2011” over this incident.
Bryson Constable — Student Representative #1
USU President Bryson Constable clarified to Honi that he is sitting on the working group in a student representative capacity, rather than as USU President. Regardless, he told Honi that he has consulted with the USU Board to “make [this process] as collaborative and consultative as possible”.
Constable is a card-carrying Liberal and is currently in his third year of Economics/Law. He was listed third on the Liberal ticket for the North Sydney local council elections this year.
In a USU Board candidate interview in 2023, Constable was asked if politics would affect decision-making surround USU corporate partnerships, to which he responded that his role would not be to “comment on the validity” of claims against exploitative companies but said there would be a “threshold” where the USU should consider: “are they war criminals?” He elaborated to say that he would weigh up the moral considerations of partnering with exploitative companies, alongside the question of whether a boycott of these companies would “drastically affect service provision.”
On October 9, Constable responded to a tweet by the Greens which endorsed the Palestine Action Group rallies protesting for a free Palestine and an end to the war on Gaza, saying,
“Political parties that support terrorist groups have no place in Australian politics. It’s not university politics anymore. Support given by the Greens matters, and it’s abhorrent that they stand in support of unprovoked slaughter and torture.”
Muhammad Yaseen — Student Representative #2
Muhammad Yaseen was the Sydney University Muslim Students’ Association (SUMSA) President in 2020 and studied Economics/Law at the University of Sydney.
SUMSA ended their encampment on June 21 and signed a deal with Management “to publicly disclose its ties to Israel, take steps to divest, and support academics in Palestine with expanded funding”. Other activist groups ended the encampment on June 17 after management ordered the encampment to shut down and invoked the Inclosed Lands Protection Act of 1901 (NSW).
SUMSA President Abdullah told Honi of their “aim is to express the wishes of the encampment — full divestment from any weapons company complicit in the ongoing genocide in Gaza.”
“We strongly believe that no institution should be contributing to the horrors in Gaza, let alone a University which prides itself on its progressiveness. We have appointed Muhammad Yaseen as a representative on the working group, a recent outgoing president of SUMSA.”
After the SUMSA deal was made public, the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, the Australasian Union of Jewish Students, the Zionist Federation of Australia, the Australian Academic Alliance Against Anti-Semitism, and the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council opposed the deal. They also revealed that they “rejected the University’s offer” to participate in the review of USyd’s investments, labelling the process a “sham” and “fundamentally flawed.”
Submissions to the Working Group
On Saturday 21 September, SUMSA posted a link to an e-form inviting “staff, students and members of the community” to make submissions, including anonymous submissions, to the Working Group. As of publication, the deadline was 5pm Friday October 4.
In its callout, SUMSA posed the question “should USyd be investing in weapons companies?” and attached an optional guide for submissions including “what is your relationship to USyd”, “how USyd’s weapon investments have impacted you” and “your view on why USyd should divest from weapons companies.”
The e-form revealed that there is “no intention to make the submissions publicly available at this stage” but they could be “used or referred to” in the Working Group’s report and the final report, which could potentially be made publicly available. The Chair retains the discretion to “disclose information provided in these submissions to the University of Sydney”.
Furthermore, the content of submissions could be quoted to or referred to in the Working Group’s report to the University’s Senate. Submissions could be publicly revealed if the law requires, such as through the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009.
Besides these exceptions, it was revealed that the University will not have access to individual submissions as the Senate will only receive a report “at the conclusion of the Group’s assessments and consultations”.
University Response
On the Working Review Group, a University spokesperson told Honi Soit, “Earlier this year we committed to establishing a working group to review our investment and divestment policies.
“Dr Longstaff was appointed to select members of the working group, aiming to include representation from a diverse cross-section of the University and broader community, with a focus on human rights expertise. The working group will also seek submissions from our students, staff and wider community to guide their discussions and findings.
The spokesperson also stated that “Following the University’s disclosure of investments in companies involved in defence-related activities, Major General Paul Symon AO decided to step down from the Working Group. This decision was made out of an abundance of caution to avoid any perceived conflict of interest.
The Working Group are searching for another suitably qualified member to fill this vacancy.”
As for the working group’s findings, they are “due to be presented to our Senate by the end of the year and are intended to be made public.”
To make submissions to the Investment Policies Review Working Group, follow this link.
Update as of Wednesday September 25: The article has been corrected to include the October 4 submission date in the “Submissions to the Working Group” section and include the information that Major General Paul Symon stepped down from the group, and was not removed.
Update as of Thursday October 03: The article has been updated to include that Lieutenant General Greg Bilton has been appointed to the Investment Policies Review Working Group.
