Amnesty International Australia and the Centre for Non-Violence have announced the end of their relationship with healthcare and community sector super fund HESTA over its fossil fuel investments.

It’s part of a growing push to have big funds divest from fossil fuel, given the impacts on the environment and people’s health.

Jesuit Social Services has maintained its relationship but is advocating directly to HESTA to raise pressure on oil and gas companies Woodside and Santos to end their oil and gas expansion plans.

Brett Morgan, the Superannuation Funds Campaign Lead for Market Forces said HESTA has more than 1 million members and nearly $97bn in assets under its management and could divest.

HESTA has disrespected its one million members by supporting Santos’ climate plan, which is consistent with catastrophic levels of global heating.

Woodside and Santos have been on HESTA’s watchlist for nearly three years so it’s high time for the fund to stop failing its members and publish a concrete escalation plan detailing how it will hold these oil and gas companies to account.”

Amnesty International Australia has removed HESTA as its default super provider in its enterprise bargaining agreement, as has the Victorian based Centre for Non-Violence..”