Australia announced measures to combat foreign interference at its universities Thursday, setting new guidelines around the key areas of research collaboration, cybersecurity, and international partnerships. There has been growing concern about China’s clout on campuses following a series of hacks, controversial donations and incidents of political intimidation linked to Beijing. The new guidelines push universities to enhance their cybersecurity systems, undertake due diligence before signing partnerships with overseas organisations, and train staff to recognise foreign influence attempts. Academics are urged to be wary of sharing knowledge on sensitive topics and discern how joint research with international scholars could potentially be misused. Education Minister Dan Tehan said the guidelines were designed to “ensure universities understand the risks and know what steps to take to protect themselves”. It comes after Australia established a task force in August to help protect sensitive research, cyber-defences, and free speech. Schools and government officials — including spy agencies — have also committed to more intensive consultation to protect Australia’s national interests.
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