Group of Eight calls for fast-track visas for AUKUS scientists

Group of Eight universities call for fast-tracking of visas and mutual recognition of security clearances across AUKUS countries.

The Group of Eight universities call for fast-tracking of visas and mutual recognition of security clearances for scientists working on AUKUS projects across the three member countries.

Australia’s elite Group of Eight universities have called on the three AUKUS partner countries to address research visas and security clearances to speed the way to delivering the advanced capabilities foreshadowed by the tripartite agreement with Britain and the US.

The Defence Strategic Review, released by the federal government on Monday, affirmed Canberra’s commitment to the “pillar two” capabilities of the AUKUS agreement, under which the three countries will “develop and deliver advanced capabilities in areas such as artificial intelligence, hypersonics and maritime domain awareness”.

Go8 chief executive Vicki Thomson said the group’s research-intensive universities were “ready to support the nation’s defence research effort”.

“Our universities have deep and longstanding relationships with our partner universities in the US and UK which will enable the collaborations necessary to see AUKUS pillar two to fruition,” Ms Thomson said.

Pillar one of the AUKUS partnership is the project to deliver nuclear-powered submarines to Australia; pillar two is the next step under which the three countries collaborate to research and develop new, cutting-edge defence technologies.

The defence review says barriers between the three countries inhibiting information sharing and technological co-operation need to be broken down for pillar two to succeed, including in intellectual property transfer.

Ms Thomson, who is in Washington this week for meetings with universities and US government officials, said the Go8 would be looking at “how to best work together to break down the barriers identified in the review, including information sharing, intellectual property considerations and technological co-operation, security clearance protocols and fast-tracking visas”.

Mutually recognised security clearances and a fast-tracked visa system for researchers from the three AUKUS countries are regarded as particularly important by the Go8 universities because, although not a front-and-centre issue in the agreement, they have the potential to be a huge impediment to successful research co-operation to develop pillar two advanced capabilities.

The Go8 would like to see Australia, the US and Britain create a special security research visa to enable trusted researchers with security clearances to move quickly between universities and other defence research agencies across the three countries.

Universities Australia, which represents the broader group of 39 major universities, said universities were an “essential partner of government and industry in meeting Australia’s defence needs – from providing skilled workers to producing world-class research”.

UA chief executive Catriona Jackson said universities were ready to work with government and industry to boost defence capability.

“It’s surprising that government has not given us a clear signal around our role as Australia embarks on the most significant overhaul of our defence posture in a generation,” she said.

In its submission to the defence review, UA urged closer co-operation between universities, government defence agencies and the defence industry.

It suggested the Department of Defence should take the lead in building secure facilities for collaborative research between universities, industries and government.

It also said researchers who had been through the rigorous process of gaining security clearance should maintain their ties with defence agencies for possible further work.