• SIX and progression NGO GetUp have submitted a shareholder resolution to Westpac Banking Corporation (ASX:WBC), supported by 173 individual shareholders.
• The shareholder campaign was sparked by Westpac's contract with Palantir, a US tech company that is connected to potential and action human rights violations across multiple countries.
• The resolution puts Westpac's relationship with Palantir formally on the Annual General Meeting (AGM) agenda, with the opportunity for all shareholders to consider and vote on our resolution.

The SIX and GetUp communities responded with astonishing speed to our new campaign asking big bank Westpac to keep Palantir tech out of our banking.

173 shareholders came on board to support the resolution - well beyond the 100 required to unlock our right to a resolution! Hundreds of others supported and shared the campaign online, and thousands added their voice to GetUp's petition to Westpac CEO Anthony Miller.

Last Friday morning, I received the news I'd been waiting for: Westpac had accepted our shareholder resolution!

This means Westpac's relationship with Palantir will formally be on the agenda at the company's AGM on Wednesday 16 December - we'll have the opportunity to speak to it in front of shareholders and the media, and all shareholders will be able to vote on the resolution.

We have put a very reasonable ask to the bank: commission an independent report to assess how effectively Westpac is implementing their own ethical sourcing and human rights frameworks for technology suppliers (like Palantir). 

We have some big questions about how Westpac ended up deciding that Palantir, a company tied to potential and actual human rights violations across multiple countries, is an appropriate partner to work with.

And it’s already making headlines, with Cyber Daily’s coverage “Westpac silent on petition calling on bank to cut ties with Palantir”.

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• We’ll continue to engage with Westpac and give them the opportunity to take action prior to the AGM. Remember, Coles confirmed they would drop the Palantir partnership soon after SIX lodged our shareholder resolution! This led us to withdraw the resolution and wrap up the campaign.
  
  
• This week, SIX’s CEO and co-founder Adam is meeting with senior Westpac staff, along with Paul Ferris (GetUp Interim CEO) and Tegan Miller (GetUp Senior Campaigner) to discuss the shareholder resolutions and the company’s relationship with Palantir.
  
  
• If Westpac doesn’t take action, we’ll begin engaging with institutional investors (like super funds and proxy advisers) to tell them about the resolution and seek their support.

Make sure to follow SIX on your preferred social media platform, where we will post snappy updates about our campaigns and key moments. We are on Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn and Facebook.

You can also follow GetUp on social media and add your name to their petition to keep building the public show of support for Westpac to re-consider their problematic partnership with Palantir.