ANU denies it ‘lost control’ to a pro-Palestine encampment, royal commission hears

The Australian National University's (ANU) acting provost, Professor Joan Leach, has denied that the university “lost control” of its campus to a pro-Palestine encampment, revealing an internal safety review rated the encampment as having a “high” psychosocial risk.

Leach appeared before the royal commission into antisemitism on Thursday, which is examining the experiences of Jewish students and academics, including university responses. Students set up the encampment in April 2024 in solidarity with Palestinians amid the Israel-Gaza war, targeting the university’s links to weapons manufacturers.

The workplace review, finalized in October 2024, found the direct and residual psychosocial risks of the encampment were high. “There is now a procedure so security knows what to do should a protest like an encampment feature,” Leach said.

Asked if the ANU had “essentially lost control,” Leach said she would not “characterise it in that way,” but acknowledged concerns about risks to students and staff. She noted that security services interacted actively with the encampment to monitor the situation.

ANU attempted to disband the encampment on multiple occasions, with it ending over a dispute about electricity and light in the evenings. This came just after the university announced it would not invest in controversial weapons manufacturers.

Leach was also questioned about the university’s investigation into an alleged Nazi salute at a student association meeting attended by about 500 people in May 2024. One student was removed for conduct. Leach said the investigation found that an alleged Hitler moustache gesture was “commonly made” by the student to cover a facial feature, and that no Nazi salute had occurred. Students interviewed said it was not a Nazi salute, and there was no misconduct finding.