The Coalition is requesting a federal inquiry into allegations that Australian universities may be providing foreign governments with trained cyber hackers. According to academic whistleblowers, Australian universities might be training Chinese hackers through teaching partnerships with Chinese universities. As a result, Shadow Minister for Cybersecurity and Countering Foreign Interference Senator James Paterson has urged the federal government to launch an immediate investigation into the claims through the Universities Foreign Interference Taskforce (UFIT). UFIT was established in 2019 to safeguard universities against foreign interference. Recently, UFIT worked with the industry to produce a set of guidelines aimed at enhancing resilience against foreign interference in the university sector. Australia’s cyber experts have called for cybersecurity students to be subject to security clearances, including those studying in Australia. They expressed concern that universities were training students in China in techniques that could be used to launch attacks on essential infrastructure such as power grids, banks, and service providers. However, Australian universities have shown reluctance to discriminate against students, stating that all course content is available to all enrolled students, regardless of race or nationality.
Calls for inquiry over Australia’s alleged arming of hostile governments
