ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS

Superannuation isn’t just for the future, it’s money that’s invested right now in the world.

76% of Australians would consider moving their super or other investments to another provider if their current fund didn’t align with their own values. Are you one of them?

TOPICS AND RESOURCES

  • Animal cruelty

  • human rights abuses

  • gambling

  • weapons and firearms

  • animal testing for non-medical purposes

  • environmental damage

  • pornography

  • labour rights abuses

  • predatory lending by financial institutions

CASE STUDY: DIVESTMENT CAMPAIGN ON SOUTH AFRICAN APARTHEID

The divestment campaign against apartheid South Africa was a global movement aimed at ending the country's institutionalized racial segregation system through economic and political pressure.

Emerging prominently in the 1960s and gaining momentum in the 1980s, the campaign sought to isolate South Africa economically by urging governments, corporations, universities, and other institutions to withdraw investments and impose sanctions. This pressure aimed to compel the apartheid regime to dismantle racist policies. The U.S. passed the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act (1986) banning new investments and loans. The UK and EU also adopted measures. South Africa was excluded from international sports (e.g. the Olympics) and cultural exchanges, amplifying its pariah status.

Events like the Sharpeville Massacre and Soweto Uprising drew global outrage, galvanizing support for divestment.

Economic isolation weakened the regime, exacerbating capital flight and inflation. Combined with internal resistance and international diplomacy, divestment contributed to apartheid’s collapse in the early 1990s. Mandela’s release and democratic elections marked its end. The campaign demonstrated the power of collective economic action and inspired later movements (such as BDS). It remains a model for leveraging moral and financial pressure to advance human rights.