Our public universities should be fully funded to be places of democracy, equity, and public good.
They shouldn’t be in bed with the industries that are harming people and the planet.
Right now, most Australian universities have partnerships and investments with dirty industries such as fossil fuels, weapons, and gambling.
These deals pour dirty money into our campuses, compromise research independence, and send the wrong message to students who want to be part of the solution to the world’s biggest challenges.
Universities shouldn’t be in bed with weapons companies who are enabling Israel’s genocide in Gaza. They shouldn’t be allowing climate-destroying fossil fuel companies to greenwash their climate crimes. And they shouldn’t be working with gambling companies who prey upon the vulnerable to maximise profit.
The Higher Education Support Amendment (End Dirty Uni Partnerships) Bill 2025 would change that. It says that universities shouldn’t be taking money from companies that profit from war, climate devastation, or human suffering.
The Bill requires universities to disclose and divest from any partnerships with dirty industries, including weapons manufacturers, gambling, fossil fuel and tobacco companies.
This is about protecting academic integrity, restoring public trust, and ensuring our universities live up to their core mission of advancing public good. Students and staff shouldn’t have to see their research sponsored by the same corporations driving genocide or climate collapse.
The Government should support this bill and stand with students, staff and communities who have long been advocating for weapons- and fossil fuel-free campuses.
And you can join this campaign by demanding the Government does just that.
Universities have shown that they won’t divest on their own, despite decades of campaigning by staff and student activists. By pressuring the Government to vote for this bill, we can ensure that dirty money from weapons companies stays out of our universities.