ANU changes investment policy to exclude certain arms manufacturers following months of pro-Palestinian protests on campus

The Australian National University (ANU) has announced it will no longer invest in certain weapons companies in the long term, following months of pressure from pro-Palestinian student groups.

The university said its council had decided that its “long term investment pool [would] not invest in controversial weapons manufacturers and civilian small arms manufacturers”.

In April, students set-up an encampment on campus in solidarity with Palestinians amid the Israel-Gaza war, with the group taking aim at the university’s investment policies.

The students pointed to certain investments the ANU held in weapons companies which the students claimed were aiding Israel’s war effort.

The ANU said it had since conducted a review of its investment policy, which included a survey of the university community and a town hall forum.

The university said the change to its policies was in line with its approach “relating to coal, gambling, pornography and tobacco”.

“This is an important step,” the ANU’s statement read.

“The university will continue to review its policy settings to ensure investment decisions are aligned to our values.”

It’s unclear whether the ANU plans to divest any current investments in the relevant companies, or when the changes would be implemented.

“The implementation of these changes will take some time as the university works with its external investment managers to ensure they are carried out effectively,” the ANU said.

Students to continue protest

Pro-Palestinian students at the ANU welcomed the announcement but said it didn’t meet all of their demands. 

“As far as I know, this is the first university in the country that’s taken steps to divest from weapons manufacturers,” said Finnian Colwell from Students and Staff Against War ANU. 

“The ANU hasn’t made this decision lightly, … our protests and the student movement against ANU’s ties to Israel have forced the ANU to make this move.”

Mr Colwell said action on campus would continue until the students’ demands were met, which included divesting from non-weapons related companies they said were active in the occupied territories, and certain other affiliations the university had.

“Our demands are that the ANU cut all ties in Israel,” Mr Colwell said.

“I think it’s definitely the case that the university is trying to focus on some of these shares at the expense of or distracting from some of the other ties with Israel, which are much more sensitive and they would be much more costly to cut.”