By Sienna Hart
This piece first appeared as a featured article in volume 95, issue five of Pelican. You can view our print archive here.
In early June, Diane Smith-Gander was elected as the next Chancellor of UWA with her appointment commencing on 1 January 2025. The Chancellor, elected by UWA’s Senate, works closely with the Senate and the Vice-Chancellor. As the university’s official leader and a key figure driving change both on and off campus, Ms. Gander will be responsible for holding a positive impact.
Born and raised in Western Australia, Ms. Gander has a deep connection to UWA spanning over fifty years. She graduated with an economics degree from UWA before completing a master’s in finance from the University of Sydney. She became the first woman to chair the UWA Business School Board and will be the first woman to serve as UWA’s Chancellor.
A strong advocate for gender equality, Ms. Gander’s contributions to this cause were recognised in 2019 when she was named an Officer of the Order of Australia. As one of Australia’s most prominent businesswomen, she has markedly broken through the glass ceiling. Her previous role as president of Chief Executive Women and her determination to climb the corporate ladder serve as an inspiration to young female students and entrepreneurs, especially in a country where women remain significantly underrepresented in leadership positions.
However, despite these achievements, some question whether Ms. Gander is the right fit for the Chancellor role. At the start of this semester, the protest group Students for Palestine UWA launched their “Cut Ties” campaign. The campaign supported the Curtin Gaza Solidarity encampment and aims to highlight UWA’s connections to Israel and the violence in Gaza. As part of this movement, they are advocating for Ms. Gander’s removal from her Chancellor role. This comes after she signed and promoted the ‘Say No to Antisemitism’ statement, which is said to mischaracterise the Palestine solidarity movement as antisemitic and to act in complicity with the Israel Defence Forces.
This current campaign against Ms. Gander is not an isolated incident but rather echoes her previous tenure at Transfield, where she was similarly scrutinised for her role in controversial operations. Appointed Chairman in September 2013, she faced intense criticism over Transfield’s operations at the Manus Island and Nauru refugee camps. These operations were heavily condemned by activists, and Transfield was denounced for allegedly enabling human rights abuses to endure and ‘turning a blind eye’. Since 2012, Transfield recorded numerous incidents and complaints, including around forty-five allegations of child abuse and sexual assault.
This was a challenging position, even for the most seasoned business leaders – a challenge I’m sure many would try to avoid. Ms. Gander maintained a firm stance in response to activist claims, drawing a distinction between Transfield’s essential operations and the government policies at the refugee camps. She consistently refused to accept liability for the incidents that occurred, urging protesters to direct their attention to the government officials at the heart of these issues.
In light of her upcoming role as Chancellor, students are left questioning how Ms. Gander’s leadership might influence their life on campus. The potential changes she may implement could significantly alter the dynamic between university administration and students, for better or for worse. Perhaps most importantly in this time of both promise and controversy, is that students receive truth and transparency above all.