THE Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) has presented its recommendations to combat foreign interference at Australian universities and in the research sector.

In its unanimous and bipartisan Report into national security risks affecting the Australian higher education and research sector, the committee has made 27 recommendations to address the serious threats posed by foreign interference to Austrlaia's most critical research institutions.

The recommendations are targeted at securing sensitive, taxpayer-funded research and protecting student safety on campus.

Among its recommendations, the committee has recognised the risks associated with Chinese Government-funded Confucius Institutes to academic freedom and student welfare, and calls on universities and the Foreign Minister to take steps to mitigate them. 

Similarly, the committee has asked the Foreign Minister to also decide the future of a $10 million contract between Monash University and COMAC – a Chinese Government-owned aviation company that has been linked to a global industrial cyber espionage campaign and been sanctioned by the US government.

The committee recommends a range of measures to protect students from threats to their freedom of speech, association and physical safety. This includes documenting and reporting incidents of harassment, intimidation and censorship resulting from foreign interference, as well as new penalties for foreign interference activities on campus, including reporting on fellow students to foreign governments.

The committee has also called for:

• A risk-based audit which samples Australian Research Council grants over the past decade to determine exposure associated with participation in talent recruitment programs, noting the Thousand Talents Program is one amongst many. Adequacy of existing penalties, including grant fraud, should also be investigated.
• Banning employees of government departments and agencies from participating in talent-recruitment programs.
• Training on national security issues for universities’ staff and students.
• Communicating Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme requirements to foreign student associations operating at Australian universities and investigating possible cases of non-compliance.

Committee chair Senator James Paterson said that while the sector has made progress in addressing national security concerns, foreign interference on campus remains a serious threat, and more work has to be done to safeguard our students and education institutions.

"There’s no question that students and academics have faced a sustained campaign of intimidation, harassment, censorship and intelligence gathering by foreign state governments. This resulted in the transfer of sensitive research to authoritarian regimes and their militaries and threats to the safety of domestic and international students," Senator Paterson said.

"While efforts have been made to strengthen the sector’s awareness and resilience to these threats, there is a great deal more to do to secure sensitive, taxpayer-funded research, and protect students on campus.

"These bipartisan reforms build on the work already undertaken and I look forward to a continued, concerted effort by government and sector to combat these escalating threats," Senator Paterson said.

Further information on the inquiry can be obtained from the committee’s website.

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The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) has backed proposed laws that will further strengthen the capacity of the National Intelligence Community to contend with a rapidly deteriorating security environment.

In its Review of the National Security Legislation Amendment (Comprehensive Review and Other Measures No. 1) Bill 2021, the PJCIS closely examined the Federal Government response to several recommendations of the Comprehensive Review of the Legal Framework of the National Intelligence Community (Comprehensive Review), led by Dennis Richardson AC. This includes:

• enabling the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS), the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) and the Australian Geospatial-Intelligence Organisation (AGO) to undertake activities to produce intelligence where there is, or is likely to be, an imminent risk to the safety of an Australian person
• enabling ASIS, ASD and AGO to seek ministerial authorisation to produce intelligence on a class of Australian persons who are, or are likely to be, involved with a listed terrorist organisation
• allowing ASIS more flexibility to work with ASIO in the performance of its functions within Australia.

Committee chair Senator James Paterson said the laws address critical operational challenges currently experienced in the National Intelligence Community.

"These laws modernise the legal framework that binds and empowers our National Intelligence Community by giving them the tools they need to keep pace with an evolving security landscape," Senator Paterson said.

'The committee is satisfied that these tools are proportionate to the threat at large, and with only minor amendments, contain robust oversight mechanisms and privacy protections."

Further information on the review as well as a copy of the report can be obtained from the Committee’s website.

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THE Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) has backed proposed new laws that further enhance government cooperation with industry to combat sophisticated cyber-attacks on Australia’s critical infrastructure.

In its Advisory report on the Security Legislation Amendment (Critical Infrastructure Protection) Bill 2022 (SLACIP Bill) presented on Friday, the committee has recommended that the next phase of critical infrastructure protections be passed, with targeted amendments. These provisions will enable the government to work with industry to ensure that appropriate risk management programs are in place, and that the nation’s most at risk assets can be protected on all fronts.

The PJCIS has made 11 recommendations in relation to the Bill and the revised Security of Critical Infrastructure (SOCI) framework, which aim to ensure that:

• the cooperative relationship with industry can continue to inform the flexible regulatory base that the Bill proposes;
• the committee is notified when sensitive powers are exercised and that consultation is ongoing and effective;
• elements of the potential impact of the Bill on workers’ rights are clarified, definitions codified and that review mechanisms be considered; and
• the Bill’s mechanisms will be reviewed for their effectiveness, operation and proportionality, once the new powers are finalised and implemented.

Chair of the committee, Senator James Paterson said, "The new laws are a critical tool that will bring together government and industry to strengthen our defences against significant threats from nation state adversaries and criminal actors.

"The threat to Australia is increasing in scale and sophistication, and so it’s never been more important to harden our systems. That requires a collaborative effort from government and industry to identify and counter cyber threats targeted at our critical infrastructure, many of which are currently regarded as soft targets by our adversaries," Senator Paterson said.

"Regrettably, even the best endeavours of industry may not be enough to stop a cascading and potentially economy-crippling collapse of supply lines and services. That’s why government and industry must be able to efficiently and effectively combine efforts to defend these critical systems.

'The committee is confident that these tools strike the right balance to ensure our nation’s most critical assets are protected from cyber threats at all levels. The cost of inaction is simply too high.

"To ensure the laws achieve this critical objective, the committee has recommended that their effectiveness be reviewed once fully implemented to ensure they remain fit for purpose and proportionate to the threat environment," Senator Paterson said.

Further information on the inquiry as well as a copy of the report can be obtained from the inquiry website.

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THE Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) has endorsed the listing of Hizballah and The Base as terrorist organisations under Australia’s Criminal Code.

The PJCIS today presented the report of its Review of regulations listing Hizballah and The Base as terrorist organisations under the Criminal Code Act 1995.

The regulations, made in December 2021, list Hizballah in its entirety as a terrorist organisation for the first time. In a review of previous regulations, in June 2021 the committee supported the re-listing of Hizballah’s External Security Organisation under the Criminal Code, but went a step further to recommend that the Federal Government expand the listing to include the whole organisation of Hizballah.

Committee chair Senator James Paterson thanked the government for acting on the committee’s recommendation, in recognition of the overwhelming evidence that Hizballah and its External Security Organisation in fact operate as a singular entity, under a singular leadership with shared financing and personnel.

"It’s crystal clear that all of Hizballah is guilty of its violent acts of terrorism against innocent civilians," Senator Paterson said.

"This terror listing holds the entire organisation to account and sends a strong message that Australia does not tolerate any form of terrorism. It makes clear that Australians should not have any association with Hizballah."

The Base has also been listed as a terrorist organisation for the first time. The Base is a US-based racist and nationalist violent extremist group which encourages terror attacks and other acts of violence, and has attempted to recruit Australians.

"Like Hizballah, the committee is satisfied that The Base is involved in the planning and preparation of violent terrorist attacks to harm innocent civilians, including Australians. Their terror listing is an important measure to keep the community safe," Senator Paterson said.

Further information on the review as well as a copy of the report can be obtained from the committee’s website.

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