Australia issues guidelines for universities on foreign meddling amid China fears
- Educators encouraged to consider the risks of international collaboration and share with the government any evidence of cyber threats
- But some say the guidelines merely risk substituting foreign meddling for interference by the Australian state
The voluntary guidelines, which follow a months-long consultation between the tertiary sector and national security agencies, outline “practical steps” for universities to improve due diligence in research collaboration, boost cybersecurity and increase awareness of potential foreign meddling on campuses.
Among other suggestions, the guidelines encourage staff to disclose foreign affiliations and relationships, consider the ethical, security and reputational risks of international collaboration, and share analysis and evidence of cyber threats with the government and other universities.
Minister for Education Dan Tehan said the measures followed discussions with universities to “ensure they have the necessary protections for students, research data, and academic integrity”.
Although they do not mention China specifically, the guidelines come after incidents of Australian academic research being implicated in alleged human rights abuses by Beijing, a cyberattack on Australian National University (ANU) widely attributed to Chinese hackers, and aggressive demonstrations by nationalist Chinese students on campuses.
