Adelaide University considers dropping Santos name
Adelaide University is considering renaming one of its key city campus buildings as pressure mounts from protesters in town for Santos’ Annual General Meeting today.
Adelaide University is considering dropping the Santos name from its engineering building more than 20 years after it was built as part of a $25 million sponsorship deal.
The university confirmed it is considering renaming the Santos Petroleum Engineering Building, as protesters lining the entrance of the company’s AGM today said they would turn their attention to the university later this week. A rally at the university planned for Saturday.
InDaily understands the university has convened a working group to consider renaming the building after a formal request was made by Adelaide University agriculture and renewables academic Dr Nick Collins.
The Conservation Council and First Nations representatives are among those in Adelaide to protest over oil and gas mining at Santos’ AGM today.
The Santos Petroleum Engineering Building cost about $10 million to build in 2002, according to a sponsorship agreement released under Freedom of Information and shared with InDaily.
The school no longer exists – petrol engineering courses falling under the new University’s engineering department – and the sponsorship period has expired.
Terms of the deal – between Santos and the former University of Adelaide – were confidential at the time, and only released publicly five years after the sponsorship period ended in 2014.
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The agreement between Santos and the University of Adelaide established the Santos School of Petroleum Engineering and Management in a deal that saw the company pay $25 million over 10 years and secure naming rights to the building.
The university was required to spend $40 million over 20 years to set up and maintain the school under the deal.
Collins argued in his request that publicly endorsing Santos was contrary to the new university’s vision to “build a better future” and negatively impacted the university’s reputation among staff and students.
He said the sponsorship period ended “a long time ago” and to his knowledge, was “the only university building named after a corporation”.
“Other buildings [are] named after Nobel laureates, explorers and other inspiring luminaries,” he said.
In a statement to InDaily, Adelaide University said “no formal decision has been made” on the name change.
“Adelaide University is considering the naming of the Santos Petroleum Engineering Building, with any future name to reflect its current use,” a university spokesperson said.
“The university has kept Santos informed as a courtesy.
“The university is committed to accelerating the sustainable transition to net zero emissions by engaging with leading industry partners, global research collaborators and government.”
The sponsorship period ended in 2009, but the deal required the building to be exclusively used by the school for 20 years, a period that has also now expired.
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Building on protest momentum at the Santos AGM this morning, NT Traditional Owner Uncle Jack Green said he would join Adelaide University staff and students at a rally on Saturday.
Green travelled 3000km from the Northern Territory to Adelaide for the protest actions this week to amplify his concerns about Santos’ gas expansion in the NT’s Beetaloo basin.
“Santos’ fracking plans threaten a Devil Dreaming songline, impacting mob with totems in the area, and endangering precious water sources,” Green said.
Any potential name change would need to be signed off by the Vice Chancellor’s executive committee.
Student campaigner Darcey McNamara said removing the Santos name from the building would show the university “is serious about its commitments to sustainability and Indigenous communities”.
Adelaide University said it has an “unwavering commitment to First Nations people characterised by meaningful action”.
The University in March appointed Adnyamathanha/Narungga man Adam Goodes as their inaugural First Nations Ambassador – a senior position to strengthen connections with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Santos previously partnered with the University of Adelaide to create the Santos Karnkanthi Indigenous Engineering School – an interactive camp to engage young Indigenous people in university and engineering careers.
It comes as protesters – including former federal Greens leader and Australian Conservation Foundation CEO Adam Bandt – lined the entrance to the Santos AGM on Thursday morning.
Conservation SA CEO said Adelaide is “ground zero” in their fight to stop gas expansions, such as the Beetaloo project in the NT.
Santos has a drilling appraisal program planned for 2026 of the Beetaloo Basin, which is estimated to contain more than 200 trillion cubic feet.
Santos said developing natural gas in the Basin “is an opportunity to deliver energy security and put downward pressure on gas and electricity prices for Australian households, manufacturers and businesses”.
Next week, the Australian Conservation Foundation will present to a federal Senate inquiry into taxing gas resources lobbying for a 25 per cent gas export tax.
The Conservation Foundation pointed to DemosAU polling in March that found 74 per cent of South Australians agreed or strongly agreed “gas companies like Santos should be required to pay for environmental damage caused by their operations”.
A Wood Mackenzie report commissioned by Australian Energy Producers said a 25 per cent tax would make new projects “uninvestable”, drive investment offshore and put future energy supply at risk.
Santos was contacted for comment.
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