Monash University has confirmed it will not renew its controversial partnership with Woodside Energy, bringing to an end a seven-year agreement that had drawn significant criticism from staff and students concerned about fossil fuel ties.
Partnership Termination Confirmed
The decision was confirmed by Monash University Vice-Chancellor Professor Sharon Pickering during a Senate committee hearing examining university governance on Wednesday. Professor Pickering stated that the existing partnership would conclude at the end of this year, acknowledging the university community's expectations for alignment with institutional values.
"It has been abundantly clear through communications with our broader community that they expect us to work in alignment with our values and, indeed, to ensure that we are always partnering well," Pickering told the committee.
Financial Details and Building Naming Rights
The partnership agreement, established in 2019, involved Woodside paying Monash University $43 million over seven years. In return, the energy company received naming rights to an award-winning, ultra-sustainable building on one of the university's Melbourne campuses - the Woodside Building for Technology and Design.
The university has confirmed that the building will be renamed in 2026, marking a significant step in distancing the institution from fossil fuel associations.
Community Campaign and Response
The partnership had become increasingly contentious, with staff and students raising concerns about a Woodside-backed climate conference held at Monash's Prato campus in Italy earlier this year. The conference featured Coalition MP Tim Wilson, further fuelling criticism about the university's fossil fuel connections.
Ben Eltham, president of the National Tertiary Education Union's Monash branch, described the partnership as a "dirty deal" and welcomed its termination. "While Monash University ran glossy advertising campaigns about the 'endangered generation', the university was taking tens of millions from a fossil fuel corporation causing that danger," he stated.
Carina Griffin, a Monash University climate science student who founded the Stop Woodside Monash campaign group, said the decision showed the university had "decided to finally listen to staff and students".
Future Collaboration and ESG Commitments
Despite ending the current partnership, both institutions indicated that future collaborations remain under discussion. A Monash spokesperson stated that the faculty of engineering was "well advanced in discussions about future areas of collaboration with Woodside", while emphasising that any future partnerships would need to align with the university's environmental and sustainability goals (ESG) and responsible partnering framework.
A Woodside spokesperson similarly confirmed that both organisations "remain in discussions on opportunities for a future phase of the research partnership", focusing on shared priorities.
However, campaigners involved in the push to end the partnership indicated they would continue working toward complete dissociation between the university and fossil fuel companies, suggesting that Monash's commitment to ESG policies would make it increasingly difficult to justify future collaborations with major fossil fuel producers.
