Chancellor Brumby may hang up on Huawei

Former Victorian premier is reviewing his directorships, including his long-term role with the Chinese telco manufacturer Huawei.

Former premier John Brumby is reconsidering his directorships. Picture: Chris Eastman

Former Victorian premier John Brumby is reviewing his directorships, including his long-term role with the huge Chinese telco manufacturer Huawei, following his appointment yesterday as the next chancellor of La Trobe ­University.

Mr Brumby has been a director of Huawei Technologies (Australia) since 2011, retaining his role even when security concerns about the company caused both Labor and Coalition federal governments to block the company from supplying equipment to the National Broadband Network.

This week, reports said Australian security agency concerns could mean that Huawei’s equipment is barred from the soon-to-be-built 5G mobile phone network.

Huawei is also unable to sell equipment to federally subsidised communications carriers in the US. A 2012 congressional investigation said Huawei could not be trusted to be free of foreign state (meaning Chinese government) interference and posed a security threat to the US.

Through a spokesman, Mr Brumby yesterday declined to say specifically whether he would resign from his Huawei directorship before taking up his appointment in March.

“He’s got a demanding workload with many roles chairing both not-for-profits and for-­profits. He will be reviewing that portfolio prior to him starting at La Trobe in March next year,” the spokesman said.

It is understood the university has announced Mr Brumby’s appointment nine months before he takes up his post as chancellor (equivalent to board chair) to allow him time to review his other positions and possibly withdraw from some of them.

Mr Brumby is a strong supporter of increased ties with China and is president of the Australia-China Business Council.

He holds many other roles including chairing the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust, technology accelerator Bio­Curate, Citywide Solutions and the Motor Trades Association of Australia Superannuation Fund.

In its media release announcing Mr Brumby’s appointment, the university did not mention Mr Brumby’s Huawei role, but it did state his other major positions.

La Trobe has strong involvement with China, being one of 13 Australian universities that have a Chinese-government funded Confucius Institute to teach Chinese language courses and run cultural events. The centres are the focus of allegations that universities have compromised academic integrity by giving control over staffing and course content to the Chinese Hanban organisation, which runs the worldwide network of Confucius institutes.

La Trobe’s deputy chancellor, Andrew Eddy, said he was “delighted” the university’s council had been able to appoint “a community, political and business leader of such high calibre to the role of chancellor”.

Mr Brumby is also chairman of the Fred Hollows Foundation and the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute.

The latter is closely linked to La Trobe University, with all its researchers also holding appointments at the university.