Nick McKim (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

Australia's universities need to understand something very, very clearly. What they need to understand is that, if they take money from fossil fuel corporations—and plenty of them do—they are complicit in the breakdown of this planet's climate and they are complicit in the slow march towards this planet being incapable of sustaining human life. They need to understand very clearly that it is not just about taking money from fossil fuel corporations. If they make money from fossil fuel corporations through buying shares, as many of them do, then they are complicit in the breakdown of our climate. They also need to understand that if they're involved in any way with weapons companies who are engaged in the genocide in Gaza as we speak—and I use those words advisedly, because the so-called ceasefire was of course a complete con by the Israeli government, and the slaughter is continuing apace in Gaza as we speak—as we understand the ANU is, through its recent purchase of shares in Elbit Systems, then they are complicit in that genocide. Our universities should always act and behave in the public interest. They have a moral obligation as cornerstone institutions in our society.

Universities have played a critical role in the evolution of humanity, and overwhelmingly that has been for the public good through human history. But it is now the case that far too many universities in this country have forgotten themselves; they've forgotten their purpose. They've abandoned their core mission of acting in the public interest. And I have to say that the actions of the political duopoly in this place, over many decades now, in slashing funding to universities have been something that has contributed to the situation that universities find themselves in. I do understand how universities are feeling, but it is no excuse whatsoever for becoming complicit in climate breakdown and genocide and, worse, in enabling climate breakdown and genocide. (Time expired)