Australia investigates foreign interference at universities as fears of Chinese influence grow

A new task force will comprise of university staff and government officials, and will look at issues such as cyberattacks and national security

The announcement comes amid heightened scrutiny of China’s influence at Australian universities following a spate of cyberattacks and demonstrations

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Students in Brisbane hold placards during a protest against the Chinese government’s funding of education organisations in Queensland. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 6:00pm, 28 Aug 2019Updated: 10:31pm, 28 Aug 2019

Australia on Wednesday launched a task force to clamp down on foreign interference at universities amid growing concerns about Chinese influence on college campuses.

Education Minister Dan Tehan said the task force, which will be equally comprised of university staff and government officials, would tackle the “intersection of national security, research, collaboration and a university’s autonomy”.

“Universities also understand the risk to their operations and to the national interest from cyberattacks and foreign interference and we are working constructively to address it,” Tehan said.

The initiative will include separate working groups tasked with cybersecurity, fostering a “positive security culture”, protecting intellectual property, and ensuring transparency in collaborations between universities and foreign entities.

“The task force has the potential to be a valuable channel to consult and coordinate efforts by the government and universities,” said Alex Joske, a researcher at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute in Canberra.

“I hope it will lead to genuine action by universities, and encourage effective solutions that involve proactive measures from both government and universities.”

The announcement comes amid heightened scrutiny of China’s influence at universities following a spate of cyberattacks, aggressive demonstrations by ultranationalist mainland students, and incidents of Australian academic research allegedly being used by Beijing to violate human rights. It also follows the release of a report by the Sydney-based Centre for Independent Studies last week which warned that universities were taking a “multibillion-dollar gamble” due to a massive overreliance on Chinese students for revenue.

The report found that seven “too big to fail” universities had much higher numbers of Chinese students than universities in countries such as the United States and the UK, relying on their fees for 13-23 per cent of revenues.