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SYDNEY: Australia’s parliament is ready to investigate alleged foreign interference in public universities, a government minister said on Monday (Aug 31), as concerns about Chinese influence mount.
An investigation proposed by the security and intelligence committee follows a series of controversies over China’s influence on Australian campuses, ranging from hacking of university data to questionable financial donations and intimidation of critics of Beijing.
Concerns have also been raised about the nature of research links between academics and scientists in the two countries.
Alan Tudge, the minister for population and cities, told Sky News that the disputed investigation was the latest attempt by the government to tackle growing foreign interference now at “levels not seen since World War II.”
The move comes after Canberra announced last week that it was seeking new powers to rule out deals between local authorities and foreign countries that threaten the national interest, broad powers that would extend to universities.
It also comes less than a year after Australia announced new guidelines for universities for research collaboration, cybersecurity and international partnerships.
Tudge said the investigation “would go further” than previous investigations into alleged foreign interference.
“We need to be sure and the public needs to be sure that there is no such foreign interference in our university sector,” he said.
He did not say whether the investigation was directed at China.
The Australian newspaper reported that Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton outlined the terms of reference for the investigation in a letter sent on Sunday to committee chair Andrew Hastie, a government MP and outspoken critic of China.
Dutton’s advisers did not respond to a request for comment.
University guidelines announced in November urge public institutions to improve cybersecurity systems, conduct due diligence before signing partnerships with foreign organizations, and train staff to recognize attempts at foreign influence.
Scholars have been urged to be cautious when sharing knowledge on sensitive topics and to discern how joint research with international scholars could potentially be misused.
Schools and government officials also pledged to conduct more intensive consultations to protect Australia’s national interests.
Beijing has repeatedly denied interfering in the life of the Australian campus.
China-Australia relations have reached a new ebb in recent months, with the two governments disagreeing on trade and vying for influence in the Pacific.
Tensions rose in April when Australia angered China by calling for an independent investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, which emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year.
