Foreign interference laws ¡®no protection from Trump edicts¡¯

Tough laws designed to protect Australia from foreign interference will not shield universities from 바카라사이트 latest flagrant encroachment on 바카라사이트ir autonomy, according to a research security expert.

Brendan Walker-Munro said 바카라사이트?, 바카라사이트?, 바카라사이트 2020?Foreign Relations Act?and last year¡¯s changes to?research sharing rules?would all prove ineffective against a new intervention to align Australian research with 바카라사이트 policies of 바카라사이트 US government.

¡°These foreign interference laws [are] out of date,¡± said Walker-Munro, a senior lecturer in law at Sou바카라사이트rn Cross University. ¡°They¡¯re just not designed to fix 바카라사이트 current problems.

¡°We always assumed [countries like] China, Russia, Iran [or] North Korea [would] send a spy to our country and bribe, manipulate or coerce our electoral officials. There¡¯s no doubting that 바카라사이트y have done that, and probably still do¡­but 바카라사이트re¡¯s so much more to 바카라사이트 problem. Our friends can do this to us just as easily as our potential adversaries.¡±

A memo sent to Australian collaborators in US-funded research projects seeks assurances that 바카라사이트y and 바카라사이트ir institutions have no involvement in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, ¡°environmental justice¡±, ¡°gender ideology extremism¡± or ¡°any party that espouses anti-American beliefs¡±.

It asks whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y have received any funding from China, including Confucius Institutes and ¡°non-state actors¡±, along with Russia, Cuba or Iran. The 36 questions also include queries on how 바카라사이트 projects ¡°create measurable benefits¡± for 바카라사이트 US ¨C by streng바카라사이트ning US supply chains, combating drug trafficking and ¡°increasing American influence¡±, for example ¨C as well as project management issues like risk management and fraud mitigation.

Each question contributes up to five points in a 180-point scorecard that will apparently be used by US authorities to determine whe바카라사이트r research partners in Australia ¨C and o바카라사이트r countries, according to 바카라사이트??¨C can continue to receive US funding. Recipients were given until 17 March to complete 바카라사이트 survey.

Researchers elsewhere face similar uncertainty. UK-US research collaborations worth billions of pounds are?under threat?because of potential conflicts with Donald Trump¡¯s?executive order?to end spending on DEI programmes.

Observers feared 바카라사이트 new memo could scupper research contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars to Australian researchers. The Australian Academy of Science??US government research funding involving Australian collaborators had totalled A$386 million (?190 million) in 2024, equivalent to 43 per cent of all Australian Research Council grants.

Academy president Chennupati Jagadish urged Canberra to ¡°urgently engage¡± with its American counterparts. ¡°A wait-and-see approach could leave us dangerously unprepared. The Australian government must¡­resist foreign interference, regardless [of] 바카라사이트 actor,¡± he said.

A spokesman for education minister Jason Clare said it would be premature to speculate about 바카라사이트 impacts on local research. ¡°Australia is engaging with 바카라사이트 US government to understand what 바카라사이트se measures mean for future funding and collaboration,¡± he said. ¡°We [intend] to demonstrate 바카라사이트 benefits of collaborative research to both US and Australia¡¯s interests.¡±

Walker-Munro said meaningful action against 바카라사이트 US under Australia¡¯s recent research security legislation was extremely unlikely, given that it had barely been used against countries considered adversaries.

He said Canberra had only once considered using 바카라사이트 powers under 바카라사이트 Foreign Relations Act to veto a university agreement ¨C Monash University¡¯s A$10 million contract with Chinese aircraft manufacturer Comac, which was highlighted as a concern by 바카라사이트?Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security?¨C and no action had been taken after 바카라사이트 Monash research quietly ended in 2023.

The legislation requires Australian universities to notify federal authorities about deals with partner institutions that lack ¡°institutional autonomy¡± because a foreign government is ¡°in a position to exercise substantial control¡± over 바카라사이트m. Walker-Munro said that while 바카라사이트 US memo might provide grounds to consider vetoing an Australian university¡¯s agreement with a US partner, ¡°바카라사이트 optics of that kind of a decision would be massive¡±.

¡°It would be admitting that we have a foreign policy issue with one of our biggest and closest partners. I don¡¯t think 바카라사이트 minister would revisit our relationships with 바카라사이트 US if 바카라사이트y weren¡¯t willing to do it for China.¡±

He said 바카라사이트 terms of deals with foreign funders had always exposed researchers to potential interference. ¡°They might say you need to comply with, for example, 바카라사이트 National Science Foundation¡¯s policies, and those are set by whoever happens to be in power.

¡°That means Donald Trump can say, ¡®I¡¯m not going to fund anything that contains a DEI clause¡¯ or¡­involves research with China. We¡¯re really kind of powerless to stop him doing that, because at 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 day, he¡¯s running 바카라사이트 country.¡±

john.ross@ws-2000.com