Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee, , 8:29:02 to 8:33:25
Questions arise regarding the Foreign Minister's cancellation of the ANU's joint international science college with Shandong University in China. The department explains the role of DFAT in providing advice based on Australia's foreign policy and national interest.
Topics: DFAT, Education, China trade
Speakers: Senator Matt O'Sullivan, Mr Simon Moore, Mr. Tony Cook, Speaker 35, Unknown Speaker, Ms. Jasmina Joldic
Um, in August this year, the foreign minister cancelled the ANU's joint international science college with Shangdong University in China. >> Can you tell us why that happened?
>> Uh, Senator, that's a that's a fat
from you in relation to
bit of
>> Senator Damian Oliver, acting first assistant secretary for international and research. Um, as is usual uh with um foreign arrangement scheme arrangements. uh uh the department of foreign affairs and and trade provides the advice to the foreign minister. Um there are regular conversations um uh across government to understand um uh how particular
arrangements work but um ultimately it's my colleague wanted to say anything
>> Um yeah thanks thanks Senator. Um we've got frequent contact with the department of foreign affairs and trade. It's a really close working relationship when it comes to national security and research security um matters. Um we are consulted with foreign arrangement schemes um considerations across the board and and not just with those arrangements as well too. Um it's a really necessary partnership because DEFAD administers um the um the foreign arrangement scheme which they were questioned on yesterday. Um um and that fits as part of really important mosaic of protections that we have across the Commonwealth including um mechanisms from Department of Home Affairs, Defense and and ourselves of course the
probably to add to that, ultimately the test for the foreign arrangement scheme um uh goes to Australia's foreign policy and Australia's national interest and it's the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Foreign Minister that's that's best placed to make those
so I just want to go back to this uh the the quan and the letter uh 724. Am I right just to refer the last three digits? You know what that means, right? SQ26 724. Um, so further down there's the what looks like an email exchange uh between you this how do I >> jordage >> uh and a vice chancellor um so that's actually what we're referring to. So, so it's a so it would be a it would be a direct communication, not just a a carbon copy of other correspondents. The covering letter might be have gone to everyone, but there's a direct what appears to be a direct correspondence. Have you got that there?
>> No, I actually don't.
>> 724. Is that what we're looking at? >> Yeah. So, we've got we don't have any email chain. Um, what I've got here, we've got letters, but no email.
>> Um, I'll see if we can get it printed and brought up. Uh but it it says, "Thank you for your response on the 11th of March, 2026 to my letter seeking confirmation that there is no current collaboration between researchers at your university and entities in Iran, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea or the Russian Federation due to the sensitivity of the engagement with Iran, DPRK and Russia. I would appreciate further detail from and it's um redacted name there on the extent of the researcher to research collaboration with those countries. You're not
>> So, Senator, I think we've got the letter house. That's good. Thank you. >> Don't have an email, but I've got a letter.
>> Oh, it's on the back.
uh I don't know which university this is. We'd have to take it on notice to help you on that. There would have been a number of universities we've written back in relation to them responding to the original letter which is the letter I was talking about. Uh but we're happy to take that on notice and see what information we can provide.
>> Sorry, it was a it was a letter just the way it's formatted on my screen it looked like an email. So I apologize for
>> soon now we've got another senator seeking the court.
>> Okay. Um we can come back.