Group of Eight universities blast Morrison government’s plan to veto foreign agreements

The nation’s most prestigious unis are ‘confused’ by Scott Morrison’s push to scrutinise and veto contracts with foreign powers.

University Australia chief executive Catriona Jackson says the sector is unsure how the foreign deals scheme will work.

The nation’s most prestigious universities are “genuinely confused” by Scott Morrison’s push to scrutinise and veto contracts with foreign powers, as Chinese-backed Confucius Institutes and thousands of global contracts are thrown into jeopardy.

University sector sources are scrambling for information on how the Foreign Relations Bill will affect their government and private links and whether they have the capacity to document the thousands of contracts the federal government want audited.

The Prime Minister said his government had to counter foreign interference in the nation’s universities and the Foreign Relations Bill would help achieve that goal.

“To ensure we counter foreign interference into this country, including in our university sector, the Australian Foreign Relations Bill will be brought in this place and that bill will protect and promote Australia’s national interest,” Mr Morrison told parliament.

In a statement, the Group of Eight — which includes tertiary education institutions such as the University of Sydney and the University of Melbourne — blasted the government for not consulting them, claiming the scheme could damage the foreign interference work done by universities.

“The Go8 … is concerned that the proposed Australian Foreign Relations Bill as it relates to universities may not be proportionate to risk, could lead to over regulation and undermine the good work that has been undertaken between universities and the government in this area to date,” the Go8 statement said.

“As the universities that conduct 70 per cent of the nation’s higher-education-based research — the very research that the federal government will rely on to rebuild the post-COVID economy — the Go8 is genuinely confused as to why the government has proceeded in the way that it has, with no consultation to date.

“The Go8 urges the government to use its world leading Foreign Interference Taskforce — comprised of the sector and government agencies — to work through any gaps it feels remain in Australia’s security landscape, while not damaging our essential research sector.”

The Australian revealed on Monday that dozens of Australian academics have been recruited to China’s Thousand Talents plan and patented inventions in China, with many of their Australian university employers unaware of their involvement.

University Australia chief executive Catriona Jackson said on Thursday the sector was still unsure how the foreign deals scheme would work in practice.

“It will be very important to discuss the exact definitions and scale of what the new laws are intended to capture,” she said.

“It is critically important to strike the right balance between national security and the research collaboration which is driving so many advances in knowledge — including the search for a COVID-19 vaccine.”

It is also unclear how the Foreign Relations Bill will affect the 13 Confucius Institutes operating on the campuses of Australian universities.

The DFAT audit is expected to probe agreements linked to the controversial China-funded soft-power culture and language centres, as global concerns rise over the role they play in helping China to achieve its international political goals.

Charles Sturt University professor of public ethics Clive Hamilton told The Australian he hoped the Foreign Relations Bill would spell the end of the Confucius Institutes.

“It’s now clear the federal government did not have enough levers over university leaders, who have shown a naive unwillingness to deal with the increasing influence of Beijing … this is a mark of the federal government’s frustration,” he said.

“I hope it is the end for Confucius Institutes. University leaders have been circumventing the Foreign Influence Transparency Act and found excuses for not registering them.

“In the US, Confucius Institutes are being rapidly closed down and Australian university leaders should take note.”

Opposition education spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek warned many of Australia’s academic and scientific breakthroughs had been made with foreign partners and must be protected.

“They have been beneficial for Australia. They’ve underpinned Australian jobs, and they’ve been beneficial for humanity as a whole. So, we can’t throw the baby out with the bathwater,” she told Sky News.