Monash staff say Woodside-backed climate conference highlights concerns about energy giant partnership

Senior lecturer says staff and students have struggled to get answers from university leadership about arrangement

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Monash University is under fire for an event at its Italian campus jointly organised with Woodside Energy, as staff criticise the institution for hosting shadowy conferences paid for by fossil fuel corporations" and a lack of transparency around the relationship.

Monash co-hosted a climate change and energy transition" conference with the gas giant at the university's Prato campus in June 2024. The conference website, no longer directly available but accessible via the Wayback Machine, shows speakers were invited to submit papers on the role of climate activism/nimbyism" in thwarting emissions reductions" and how activism", lawfare" and cancel culture" were harmful to the energy transition.

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