University of Sydney Chancellor David Thodey is in the firing line after being listed as a featured speaker at the upcoming Jerusalem Post Australia Summit to be held on 19 November.
The summit, its first in Australia, aims to strengthen “the relationship between Australia and Israel” and ensure “Israel’s story is being told”. The event will feature Israeli political and military figures, including Israel’s First Lady, and several leaders from Australia’s pro-Israel lobby.
Thodey’s inclusion has infuriated USyd staff and alumni who were recently denied a Convocation meeting they had requested to discuss the university’s ties to Israel.
“It’s appalling for a university chancellor to be speaking at this pro-Israel propaganda event. This is a PR event for a genocidal state,” Dr David Brophy, a senior lecturer in history, said.
The university has been at the centre of controversy since student protests against the Gaza genocide erupted on campus shortly after October 2023. A Palestine solidarity encampment was removed in 2024, and USyd’s management has since faced allegations that it is suppressing student political activism on campus – a charge it denies.
NSW Greens MP Jenny Leong – herself a former USyd Senate Fellow – said Thodey’s participation “demonstrates that the crackdown on freedom of expression and human rights on campus is clearly being driven from the top”.
Corporate figures line up behind Israel
In comments to Deepcut, a University of Sydney spokesperson denied Thodey’s participation was political, saying “his contribution will focus on innovation and its importance to both Australia and Israel, including what Australia can learn from Israel’s experience in driving innovation”.
Joining Thodey in the pro-Israel talkfest are several prominent Australian corporate leaders, including NAB Chairman Philip Chronican, Bunnings Group Managing Director Michael Schneider and Victor Smorgon Group’s Executive Chair Peter Edwards.
Their participation speaks to the level of support Israel still enjoys among Australia’s corporate elite, despite findings of genocide in Gaza by a UN Commission of Inquiry and a global fuel-price spike, including in Australia, caused by Israel’s illegal war on Iran.
It also reflects a widening gulf between corporate elites who remain aligned with Israel and the broader public who have turned sharply against the rogue state since October 2023.
A Pew Research poll in June found 79 per cent of Australians held a negative view of Israel, in line with global opinion.
Damaging USyd’s reputation
Leong said of Thodey’s inclusion that it was “abundantly clear that the university has lost its way when it comes to human rights”.
“So many students, staff and alumni are disgusted by the university abandoning its commitment to human rights as it deepens ties with a genocidal state,” she added.
Those sentiments were shared by Brophy, who said Thodey’s appearance “will leave a lasting stain on our institution’s reputation”.
Brophy helped co-ordinate a letter signed by over 450 USyd staff and alumni in August calling for a Convocation – a mass meeting of staff and graduates to provide input on the institution’s governance.
The letter accused the university of “failing to respond meaningfully to the ongoing genocide in Gaza”, which it said “represents a profound moral failure”.
Thodey rejected the request in a response dated 4 September, saying he was “of the opinion that the proposed subject of ‘the ethics of maintaining institutional ties with Israel in the current environment’ is such as ought not to be discussed in Convocation”.
A university Senate meeting on 25 September formally voted down the request.
Thodey’s decision to speak at a pro-Israel summit, so soon after rejecting Convocation, has rankled staff members.
“Staff who are aware of this are horrified, and many more will be when they learn what is going on. I’m sure I speak for many colleagues in saying that he should withdraw,” Brophy said.
“This summit includes some of the world’s most die-hard public defenders of Israeli atrocities. If the Chancellor is willing to stand alongside these figures, it clearly raises questions about his own views,” he added.
Deepcut questions sent to the University of Sydney
Why has the Chancellor agreed to participate in an event which its organisers say is to ensure “Israel’s story is being told”?
Would the Chancellor personally classify his political views on the subject as pro-Israel, anti-Palestinian and/or Islamophobic?
Given the current political climate, in particular the strong opposition to Israel’s genocide in Gaza at the University of Sydney and among the broader Australian community (79% of Australians hold a negative view of Israel), was a risk assessment conducted prior to the Chancellor accepting this speaking role?
Does the university hold concerns that it will be seen among global peers as an institution aligned to a State found by a UN Commission of Inquiry to be committing genocide?
Does the Chancellor’s participation in an event alongside Israeli military and political figures, at a time when the ICC has outstanding arrest warrants for Israeli leaders, suggest the university no longer values or respects international law?
Does the Chancellor’s decision to speak at a pro-Israel event suggest an inability to exercise sound judgement befitting the post?
An absolute disgrace, Chancellor David Thodey a guest speaker to ensure ‘Israel’s story is heard’? Well I think the story was heard loud and clear in the documentary NAZA. I suppose the point is this man’s position and influence has a direct impact on the University’s ability to speak out against genocide and the reality of ethnic cleansing. A subtle ( or not so subtle ) mouthpiece for a foreign government.
Thodey says it’s about driving innovation and what we can learn from Israel. Is that the AI genocidal killing machine as obscenely documented by IDF whistleblowers in the film Naza? Or is it the technology industry innovation acquired over decades of occupation that is now exported world wide? This conference should not go ahead. It is entirely divisive and will sow even more dissent amongst communities here , which is probably one of the very reasons why it is being held. Promote the Israeli narrative and claim any protest is antisemitic.