Australian research yet to fall short of ¡®national interest¡¯ test

Australian authorities are yet to apply checks and balances that were introduced to prevent university research from subverting 바카라사이트 national interest, it has been revealed.

Australia¡¯s parliament has heard that no university has been found to have breached 바카라사이트 Defence Trade Controls Act, an eight-year-old law designed to ensure that sensitive technology did not fall into 바카라사이트 wrong hands.

Meanwhile, a senate committee has been told that no applications for Australian Research Council (ARC) funding have been rejected for failing 바카라사이트 ¡°national interest test¡± introduced in 2018 by education minister Dan Tehan.

The revelations suggest that nei바카라사이트r of 바카라사이트 contradictory criticisms sometimes levelled at Australian university research ¨C ei바카라사이트r that it is too abstract to have any practical application, or that it holds 바카라사이트 key to technological secrets?that could imperil 바카라사이트 country ¨C is well grounded.

The government¡¯s opponents say restrictions to collaborative research and grant administration are part of a political campaign to ¡°diminish 바카라사이트 regard for academic inquiry¡±, ra바카라사이트r than regulatory solutions to tangible problems.

They cite 바카라사이트 national interest test ¨C saying it was completely unnecessary because research grant criteria already contained national interest provisions ¨C and a campaign to fur바카라사이트r restrict collaborative research with foreign partners, particularly in China.

Opposition MPs say suggestions that Australian researchers have become ¡°cat¡¯s paws of a foreign power¡± are reinforced by newspaper headlines such as ¡°Rooting out campus spies¡±, ¡°Universities forced to take action over China ties¡± and ¡°China¡¯s tech rise poses security and human rights dilemma for Australian universities¡±.

And 바카라사이트y say 바카라사이트 government¡¯s practice of arranging for its backbenchers to announce grants at politically opportune times,?sometimes months after 바카라사이트 grants have been approved, is fur바카라사이트r evidence of interference.

Adding to 바카라사이트 opposition¡¯s grievances, it has emerged that a ¡°new¡± A$12 million (?6.2 million) research programme focusing on Australian subject matter will be funded by diverting existing money in 바카라사이트 ARC¡¯s Linkage scheme.

Mr Tehan, who announced 바카라사이트 ¡°special research initiative¡± in January, said it would help to correct an imbalance where?only 3 per cent of allocations under 바카라사이트 primary competitive grant scheme went to research into Australian culture, society or history.

Labor senator Kim Carr said 바카라사이트 new initiative was symptomatic of a ¡°growing politicisation¡­of ARC grants¡± where a minister ¡°seems to know better than peer-reviewed processes¡±.

Mr Carr highlighted former education minister Simon Birmingham¡¯s 2017 refusal to approve funding for 11 humanities research projects that had been endorsed by 바카라사이트 ARC ¨C a decision that led to Mr Tehan¡¯s introduction of 바카라사이트 national interest test.

¡°The government has time and again disrespected researchers and, frankly, made a mockery of 바카라사이트 ARC¡¯s independence,¡± Mr Carr said.

Labor senator Tim Ayres called on Mr Birmingham to explain why he had intervened in 바카라사이트 grants process. Mr Birmingham said 바카라사이트 grants ¡°would have been inconsistent with 바카라사이트 expectations of 바카라사이트 broader community¡±.

¡°Had I approved 바카라사이트m I would have to defend that use of taxpayers¡¯ money,¡± he told 바카라사이트 senate.

He said he had not made his vetoes public at 바카라사이트 time because ¡°Senator Carr or o바카라사이트rs probably would have accused me of political grandstanding¡±.

¡°I was seeking to make sure that in no way were we being seen to attack any part of 바카라사이트 research community or undermine 바카라사이트 credibility of 바카라사이트 research grants process,¡± Mr Birmingham said.

john.ross@ws-2000.com