Universities would have to drop deals with four industries
Unis that get federal money would have to publish their deals with these industries. Then they would have to end them within six months. No one linked to those companies could join a uni's top board.
Official name: Higher Education Support Amendment (End Dirty University Partnerships) Bill 2025
- Unis that get federal grants would have to list their deals with coal, oil, gas, gambling, tobacco and weapons companies.
- They would then have six months to end those deals and sell those shares.
- People who own shares in those companies, or sit on their boards, could not be picked to run a uni.
- The Minister could add more industries, but only if both houses of Parliament agree.
Who it affects
- Universities that get federal grants: They would have to report, then end, any money deals with the named industries.
- Fossil fuel, gambling, tobacco and weapons companies: They could no longer pay for scholarships, research or joint projects at these unis.
- People on university councils: Anyone who owns shares in one of these companies, or sits on its board, could not be newly picked.
- Students and researchers: Some scholarships and research programs paid for by these companies would end.
Universities take industry money
Australian unis get a lot of money from the federal government. Many also take money from private companies. That money pays for scholarships, research and joint projects. Unis also put their spare money to work, often in shares.
Senator Mehreen Faruqi is a Greens senator. She brought this bill to the Senate, one of the two houses of Parliament. Her notes on the bill say unis should serve the public good. She says they should not have money ties with industries that harm students and communities.
The notes say the bill follows student campaigns at several unis. Those students asked their unis to drop links with weapons makers and fossil fuel companies. Fossil fuels are coal, oil and gas.
Which companies count
The bill makes a list of banned companies. These are companies a uni could not deal with. There are four groups.
Fossil fuel companies are those that look for, dig up, develop or sell overseas coal, oil or gas.
Gambling companies are those that take bets or make gambling machines such as pokies, or poker machines.
Tobacco companies are those that make or sell tobacco, or vapes and other nicotine products you breathe in.
Weapons companies are those that make or sell weapons, weapon parts or military gear.
Companies closely linked to any of these also count. That includes a parent company, which owns the company. It also includes a sister company, which has the same owner.
The Minister could add other kinds of company to the list. The Minister would have to be sure the company's business harms the Australian community or harms students.
Both houses of Parliament would then have to vote yes before the new listing took effect.
What counts as a deal
The bill covers two kinds of money link. The first is a "partnership". That means any deal where the uni gets money, or some other money benefit, from a company. Scholarship programs, joint business projects and research programs are all included.
The second is an "investment". That means putting money or other things of value into something to make money back. One example is buying shares in a company.
Deals made public
The rules apply to any uni or college that gets grants under the main federal funding part of the Higher Education Support Act 2003. That law sets out how the government pays for unis and colleges.
Within 90 days of the law starting, each of these unis would have to publish a written report on its website. The report would list every current deal or investment with a listed company.
Each report must name the uni and the company. It must describe the deal. It must say how much money is involved.
A uni might make a new deal with a listed company later. Then it would have to publish a report within 30 days.
Deals ended in six months
A uni that gets these grants could not start a new partnership with a listed company. It could not buy a new investment in one.
Current deals and investments would have to end within six months of the law starting. A company might only join the list later. Then the six months would start from that day.
Say a uni runs a scholarship paid for by a coal miner. Under this bill, it would have to report that scholarship within 90 days. It would have to end it within six months.
Ending a deal early can cost money. The bill says the federal government may pay a uni a fair amount for a loss it can measure. The government and the uni would agree on the amount. The notes say this is to protect teaching and research.
Who can sit on boards
Each uni has a top group that runs it. It is often called a council or senate. It is like a company board and makes the big choices.
Under the bill, a uni could not put a person on that group if the person owns shares in a listed company. It also could not pick someone who sits on the board of a listed company.
Waiting in the Senate
The law would start the day after it is signed into law. The Governor-General, the King's representative, signs bills into law.
Senator Faruqi brought the bill to the Senate on 13 February 2025. It lapsed when the last Parliament ended in July 2025. That means it died because time ran out. It was put back on the Senate's to-do list on 23 July 2025.
The Senate debated it again on 6 November 2025. It has not had a vote yet.
To become law, it needs to pass the Senate. Then it must pass the House of Representatives, the lower house of Parliament. Then it must be signed into law.
Its journey through Parliament
| 13 Feb 2025 | Senate: Introduced and read a first time |
| 13 Feb 2025 | Senate: Second reading moved |
| 21 Jul 2025 | Senate: Lapsed at end of Parliament |
| 23 Jul 2025 | Senate: Restored to Notice Paper |
| 06 Nov 2025 | Senate: Second reading moved |
| 06 Nov 2025 | Senate: Second reading debate |