ANU reviews policies on investment and 'offensive' stickers on campus

A key demand of the students behind the pro-Palestinian encampment was for the university to divest from companies linked to the supply of weapons to Israel, claiming it went against the institution's policy to ensure investments did not cause social harm.

A university spokesman said at a meeting on June 14 the ANU Council endorsed a review into the socially responsible investment policy.

"This review will include consultation with the ANU community," the spokesman said.

"ANU will provide updates to its community in the coming weeks on how they can be involved in the consultation process as part of this review."

The university is also creating a policy around what types of material can be displayed around the campus after stickers with pro-Palestine, anti-Israel slogans have been appearing since the October 7 attacks.

Stickers with the Israeli flag with a red strikethrough sign and the word "boycott" have been plastered on campus.

Other stickers with the phrases "If you are not with Palestine you are a psychopath" and "Zionism is terrorism" have also appeared in recent weeks.

"Hate speech is not tolerated at ANU," the university spokesman said.

"When this unacceptable behaviour is brought to our attention, action is taken.

"The university is conducting regular sweeps of the campus and removing any offensive materials that we come across."

The spokesman said people should report any offensive or harmful material and that the university was trying to identify the people posting the stickers through CCTV footage.

"The university is in the process of developing a dedicated policy relating to posters, stickers and other materials and their dissemination across the campus," the spokesman said.

"All ANU staff and students are free to express themselves in line with the university's codes of conduct and Australian law."

Australian Union of Jewish Students ACT region co-president Mia Kline said the stickers were having a negative impact on Jewish students.

"It's mainly the fact that it's like a constant reminder of Jewish students feeling like they don't have a place on campus because of their belief in the mere existence of a Jewish state," Ms Kline said.

"It's kind of just another reminder that campus isn't necessarily a safe place for you or a place where you're wanted which is hard for students, because it's just like in your face all the time."

Ms Kline said people had complained to the university about the material and that ANU security staff had removed a lot of stickers from the Kambri precinct.

"I recognise that the university won't be able to get every single one taken down but there's definitely been a lag in their response to cleaning them up," she said.

When the Australian Union of Jewish Students applied to host their general meeting in a library on campus last year, they were advised to not hold it in a public place because of security reasons.

"We do have a place on campus for Jewish students which is very secure. But the fact that we needed a place in the first instance is kind of telling of the possible escalation that could happen on campus," Ms Kline said.

Nearly every Jewish student had been subjected to anti-Semitic stereotypes or tropes at some point of their university career, she said.

Participants in the pro-Palestinian encampment at the university were contacted regarding the investment review and the stickers but did not respond to questions by deadline.

University executives were questioned in Senate estimates about the socially responsible investment policy and their handling of pro-Palestine protests and anti-Semitism on campus.