Bunnings managing director Michael Schneider is a speaker at the Jerusalem Post conference in Sydney next month, despite concerns the Zionist event clashes with Wesfarmers’ human rights commitments.
The conference aims to promote investment in Israel. Israel is accused of genocide. Bunnings is owned by conglomerate Wesfarmers, and its human rights policy claims to adhere to the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
Jerusalem Post Conference
The Wesfarmers media team did not respond to requests for comment, referring MWM to Bunnings media team. Bunnings media team did not respond. Further questions were put to Wesfarmers new chairman, Ken McKenzie, who did not respond by deadline.
MacKenzie took the chair from veteran Wesfarmers chair Michael Chaney only this month so the decision to participate in the Israeli conference occurred under Chaney’s stewardship.
Also headlining the conference are former IDF personnel, a former adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, intelligence personnel and speakers involved with the illegal financing of settlements in the West Bank
Barrister Benedict Coyne lodged a Human Rights Grievance last year under the ANZ Human Rights Grievance Mechanism in relation to former ANZ Bank chief Shayne Elliott’s patronage of the Israel business lobby (AICC) and told MWM the bank was lending its
“imprimatur to endorsing and promoting the business, political and geopolitical interests of the AICC (and by association the Israel Australia Chamber of Commerce) … appears to be in contravention of ANZ Human Rights Statement (May 2022), ANZ Human Rights Statement (November 2021), RESPECTING PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES – ANZ’s Approach to Human Rights (September 2012), the ANZ Code of Conduct, the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct.”
NAB chairman Philip Chronican is also listed as a keynote speaker along with Michael Schneider. His involvement in promoting investment in Israel is likely counter to NAB’s ethics policy, said Coyne. Same deal for Schneider and therefore its owner Wesfarmers.
Chairman Chronican does Israel gig. In breach of NAB’s human rights policy?
Michael West established Michael West Media in 2016 to focus on journalism of high public interest, particularly the rising power of corporations over democracy. West was formerly a journalist and editor with Fairfax newspapers, a columnist for News Corp and even, once, a stockbroker.