Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah, a prominent academic and Palestinian advocate, has been cleared of any wrongdoing, after an investigation into potential conflicts of interest and spending queries launched amid criticism of her comments on Israel.
The Australian Research Council (ARC) confirmed on Tuesday that a suspension placed on an $870,000 research grant to Abdel-Fattah had been lifted earlier this month. This followed a preliminary investigation by her employer, Macquarie University, launched in early 2025.
Abdel-Fattah had been awarded the funding by the ARC in 2022 and was commissioned to research Arab and Muslim-Australian social movements.
But the education minister, Jason Clare, wrote to the ARC in January to investigate her research grant as a “matter of priority”, after Abdel-Fattah told an anti-racism symposium she looked to ways to “bend the rules” and “subvert them”.
He did so after Abdel-Fattah said she had refused an ARC requirement to hold an academic conference as a condition of her grant, instead inviting women to contribute revolutionary quotes.
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The prominent academic has previously faced criticism from the Coalition, some Jewish bodies and media outlets for controversial comments on Israel, including alleging Zionists had “no claim or right to cultural safety”.
On Tuesday, Abdel-Fattah took to social media to confirm her research would continue following the investigation.
“After a 10-month exhaustive, rigorous investigative process, I have been cleared of all allegations raised against me and my employment suspension has been lifted and my ARC Future Fellowship reinstated,” she said.
“I can finally resume my work with community Elders, artists and knowledge holders.”
The university’s 10-month investigation looked at the code of conduct for responsible research, and included an examination of the appropriateness of expenditure and the disclosure of potential conflicts of interest.
It engaged two internationally respected academic leaders to contribute to the assessment.
A spokesperson for Macquarie University said the ARC indicated the investigation “satisfied their concerns”, and subsequently lifted the grant’s suspension.
“Based on the rigorous process undertaken and the information considered in the assessment, the university has determined there is no basis for any further investigation of the concerns raised by the ARC,” they said.
“The assessment has been thorough, evidence-based, based on best practice and followed due process.”
The ARC’s chair, Prof Peter Shergold AC, told a Senate estimates hearing in February the council had been engaging with Macquarie University “for a year” on the academic prior to media reporting and the minister’s letter.
“The ARC, every year, investigates 10, a dozen, sometimes more, grants to make sure they are administered appropriately by the university that is responsible,” he said.
“This is not an issue about freedom of speech … it’s about the acquittal of public funds.”
– Additional reporting by Caitlin Cassidy
