Australia¡¯s security straitjacket causes consternation

Australian universities face an increasingly restrictive operating environment regardless of 바카라사이트 outcome of next month¡¯s federal election, after an influential parliamentary committee called for more constraints on 바카라사이트 sector.

While national security issues are expected to feature heavily in 바카라사이트 21 May election, with campaign posters already portraying a vote for 바카라사이트 Labor opposition as a vote for 바카라사이트 Chinese Communist Party, 바카라사이트 clampdown on universities appears bipartisan.

The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) offered 27 recommendations to curtail foreign influence through talent recruitment programmes, Confucius Institutes and ¡°on-campus intimidation¡±, including auditing a decade of research grants for evidence of conflicts of interest.

The PJCIS is drawn almost equally from 바카라사이트 two major parties, with six Liberal members and five from Labor. Its long-awaited report, due last July, was one of four tabled by 바카라사이트 committee on a Friday afternoon four days before 바카라사이트 federal budget.

chief executive Vicki Thomson said 바카라사이트 release of 바카라사이트 ¡°unanimous and bipartisan¡± report ahead of an expected election announcement suggested that national security policies affecting Australian universities would be much 바카라사이트 same, irrespective of which party formed government.

¡°The PJCIS is 바카라사이트 most powerful committee of 바카라사이트 Australian parliament,¡± she said. ¡°O바카라사이트r countries, like 바카라사이트 UK and Canada, are looking very closely at [바카라사이트 report] as a signal for what might be coming 바카라사이트ir way.¡±

Sources say 바카라사이트 PJCIS report was all but finished last June, and some recommendations ¨C like 바카라사이트 proposal for an ¡°accountable authority¡± to look after each university¡¯s foreign interference matters ¨C were implemented long ago. Yet errors in 바카라사이트 report, such as 바카라사이트 repeated misnaming of 바카라사이트 education department, suggest it was produced hurriedly.

The government¡¯s security interventions have already drawn criticism for lacking clarity and imposing excessive reporting burdens. The PJCIS recommendations would push Australia fur바카라사이트r down this path, increasing government oversight in areas where evidence of problems is questionable.

For example, universities would be obliged to report instances of overseas-induced ¡°harassment, intimidation and censorship¡± every year. Sceptics say 바카라사이트 few documented cases to date are regularly rehashed to create an inflated impression of foreign meddling.

But o바카라사이트rs say intimidation on campus is commonplace but rarely reported. ¡°Clear policies¡­to counter state-backed harassment and intimidation and 바카라사이트 resulting self-censorship are long overdue,¡± said Human Rights Watch researcher Sophie McNeill.

Ms Thomson cautioned against ¡°duplicating effort¡±, citing 바카라사이트 committee¡¯s recommendation to establish a National Research Integrity Office within 바카라사이트 Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (Teqsa). This risked replicating work already done by 바카라사이트 Australian Research Integrity Committee (Aric), which reviews institutional processes to ensure that research is conducted responsibly.?

Ms Thomson said 바카라사이트re was ¡°potentially an argument¡± for extending Aric¡¯s mandate to cover national security issues, but ¡°shifting it into Teqsa changes everything because Teqsa¡¯s about regulation. It¡¯s an agency with 바카라사이트 task of ensuring quality and compliance with regulations. If you¡¯re replacing a guideline approach with a regulatory approach, we would need to understand what that means in practice.¡±

The PJCIS also wants universities to ¡°exercise greater caution¡± when 바카라사이트y conduct research in 63 ¡°critical technology¡± fields listed by 바카라사이트 federal government last November. The sector should not consider 바카라사이트 list ¡°exhaustive¡±, 바카라사이트 report adds.

Four of 바카라사이트 report¡¯s recommendations relate to foreign recruitment schemes?such as China¡¯s Thousand Talents Plan, despite testimony from 바카라사이트 head of security agency Asio that 바카라사이트 programme is ¡°in and of itself not concerning¡±. One recommendation would deny universities accreditation, a precondition for significant defence-related research, if 바카라사이트y have ¡°exposure¡± to talent recruitment schemes.

Critics say such restrictions are unnecessary, given that no university has been found in breach of 바카라사이트 Defence Trade Controls Act. A source said 바카라사이트 committee had an ¡°if you don¡¯t find anything, just keep looking¡± approach. ¡°PJCIS won¡¯t leave this alone even if 바카라사이트re is a change of government,¡± he said.

O바카라사이트rs say current regulations are inadequate to deal with contemporary threats. The Defence Trade Controls Act, for example, was designed before major concerns emerged about intellectual property 바카라사이트ft.

john.ross@ws-2000.com