Richardson made dozens of recommendations for how such a new Act should work, and 203 recommendations in total.
It took an entire year for the government to respond, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic s impact on business, but eventually, in its formal response of December 2020, it agreed that such a reform was needed.
Indeed, the government agreed, or agreed in principle, to the vast majority of Richardson s unclassified recommendations. The central area for reform is a new electronic surveillance Act, which will be a new landmark in Australia s national intelligence legislation, the government wrote. A new electronic surveillance Act will be generational in its impact. This legislation will require careful and detailed consideration, with extensive public consultation, to establish a framework that will support Australia s intelligence collection and law enforcement agencies in the years to come.
Australian universities should be forced to seek government approval before entering any type of agreement with China, a federal government inquiry has been told. In a submission to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security s inquiry on foreign interference in the higher education sector, the Falun Dafa Association of Australia said the federal government needed the power to veto agreements as anything related to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is inevitably related to our national security . Falun Dafa, also called Falun Gong, is a spiritual exercise which was outlawed in China in 1999. In its 12-page submission to the inquiry earlier this month, the association also recommended the federal government create a program to help universities have a full knowledge of the Chinese Communist Party, its methods of operation and risks .
325 Australian-Based Scientists, Researchers Identified as Recruits for Beijing
Australian Research Funds Could Be Supporting CCP Military Tech Development
Over 325 academics and scientists in Australian universities and research institutes have been identified as alleged recruits of Beijing’s controversial overseas talent-recruitment programs.
The allegations raise questions over potential conflicts of interest, grant fraud, and Australian research funds inadvertently advancing the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) military technology.
Alex Joske of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), wrote to the Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security claiming that despite 325 individuals being identified, as many as 600 could be connected to Beijing-backed partnerships.
Major universities with recruits include Monash (35); University of Queensland (31); University of New South Wales (27); University of Sydney (19); and Australian National University (19).
China is gearing up for global competition with a Biden-led United States. That’s reducing Australia’s room to move. But it also makes it more important for us to get right the things we can control. To make smarter China choices, Australia should change the way it debates, formulates and implements China policy.
From China’s perspective, Australia is a frustrating anomaly in need of correction; a country that remains firmly allied with the US despite its apparent economic dependence on China. Not only has Canberra failed to toe Beijing’s line, it has actively questioned China on issues ranging from 5G telecommunications to COVID-19.