Adelaide University considers dropping Santos name from building | Santos
The newly formed University of Adelaide is considering removing the name of gas company Santos from one of its buildings.
On Saturday, students and conservationists demonstrated in front of the Santos Petroleum Engineering building, urging the university to give up its name over the company’s new gas projects.
The vice-chancellor told Guardian Australia that the university was already considering dropping the name after its sponsorship deal expired.
Professor Nicola Phillips took up her post as vice-chancellor in January following the merger of the University of South Australia and the University of Adelaide. “This evaluation process was already underway,” he said.
“This is a particular aspect of the partnership that ended some time ago and was with the University of Adelaide,” he said. “We need to look at whether naming the University of Adelaide still reflects our current reality.”
He said the university has an ongoing and good relationship with Santos, with whom it has communicated about the situation.
In 1999, Santos signed a $25 million sponsorship deal with the University of Adelaide to “lay the foundation of the new School of Petroleum Engineering for at least 20 years”, construct the building, appoint a Santos professor and provide student scholarships.
The school no longer exists and the courses now fall under the engineering department.
Phillips said the university had heard from staff who “care deeply about climate” and was invested in the new university’s position on sustainability.
Student and Conservation Council of South Australia (CCSA) campaigner Darcey McNamara said promoting Santos was “a shame”.
“Santos’ gas expansion plans will harm First Nations communities and pollution will lead to further climate change,” he said.
The CCSA and others are also calling on the state government to abandon Santos sponsorship of the Tour Down Under.
A recent DemosAU poll of 1,242 South Australians conducted by the Australian Conservation Foundation found that 36 per cent of respondents “strongly agreed” that gas companies like Santos should pay for environmental damage caused by their operations, while 38 per cent “somewhat agreed”.
In February, Santos successfully defended a landmark greenwashing case in which he was accused of making misleading claims about net-zero plans.
Santos has been contacted for comment.
Cory Bernardi mocks the Kaurna language
Another landmark at the University of Adelaide was the center of a very different war of words during the state election campaign, waged by then One Nation candidate, now upper house MP and state party leader Cory Bernardi.
In February, she posted a video of herself standing in front of a sign that read “Niina Marni” and saying, “Here I am at Niina Marni headquarters.”
“I honestly don’t know what it is and neither does anyone else,” he said.
Niina Marni means “hello, how are you?” in Kaurna. It is a common greeting that means: or “are you okay?”
In the second video, Bernardi stood in front of a sign at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital that read “Ngangkiku Ngartuku Kukuwardli.” It means “a health place that cares about women, babies, children and young people during pregnancy and birth.”
“Why are we doing this to ourselves? Nobody knows where the Googa Waggly headquarters is,” Bernardi said.
Kaurna elder Lynette Crocker told Guardian Australia last month: “I think it’s unfortunate that they have to make fun of Aboriginal people to show their displeasure… I think that’s the lowest form of communication when you make fun of Aboriginal people and [we are at] lower end of the spectrum [One Nation] I have nothing to say or offer.”
When asked about Bernardi’s comments, Phillips said the university did not share his views.
“I hope it is very clear to anyone who has followed the development of our university and the founding of the University of Adelaide that this is not a view we share,” he said.
“The University of Adelaide has a name gifted to us by the Kaurna people (Tirkangkaku) and enshrined in its law, and we are very proud of it.”
Phillips also noted the university’s appointment of Adnyamathanha/Narungga man and football legend Adam Goodes as a First Nations ambassador and other actions that demonstrate the university’s commitment to the First Nations community.
“I think all of this is an indication that we will not share the views that have been expressed,” he said.
“I wanted [the appointment of Goodes] to be a really strong statement of who we are as a university, what we stand for, what we value and what the commitments and obligations are that we have as a new university in SA, and I see that as a responsibility and an obligation. “This is at the core of what we are and what we should be.”
