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May 30, 2026
The federal opposition is demanding the Defence Departmentreview its contracts with the "lax" University of Sydney, whichdefied government security warnings by sending an academic to Iran last year.
Coalition defence spokesman James Paterson said too many universities"still don't get it'' despite years of direct and repeated warnings aboutespionage and national security threats in the research community.
"Defence should urgently review its research funding with SydneyUniversity to ensure their lax approach to security has not compromisedsensitive military programs,'' Senator Paterson said.
"There is no good professional reason to send an academic to the IslamicRepublic of Iran, the world's largest state sponsor of terror, with an illegalnuclear weapons program, sanctioned by the Australian government, responsiblefor terrorism on our home soil and the vicious persecution of its owncitizens.'' The Defence Department said on Friday "there is no connectionbetween Defence's collaboration with the University of Sydney and visits byUniversity of Sydney academics to Iran''.
"Defence collaborates with a number of academic institutions and appliesrobust security controls to manage risks from foreign interference, technologytransfer and loss of sensitive knowledge,'' it said.
The high-risk travel was buried in the University of Sydney's internationaltravel disclosure log in its latest 2025 annual report, categorised as"university-related administrative or strategic engagements''.
In response to the controversy this week, the top-tier research universitywhich has sensitive research and teaching contracts with the Department ofDefence said it is "updating guidelines to strengthen how we manageinternational collaborations''.
Vice-chancellor Professor Mark Scott has refused to identify the academic ortheir field of research, or explain why the university sent an academic to Irandespite a Do Not Travel warning from the Department of Foreign Affairs andTrade, and Australian government sanctions on Iran.
In a statement on Friday, the university said its academic "has nobackground or research ties in STEM or Defence''.
"The visit to Iran formed part of a broader trip, which also includedplans to attend a conference in Turkey, scheduled meetings and a portion ofannual leave," a spokeswoman said. "We take our obligations aroundresearch collaborations very seriously and value the Australian government'spartnership in safeguarding national interests."
Federal Education Minister Jason Clare who vetoed 13 risky research grants thismonth said "Australian universities need to be alert to foreigninterference".
"We've made our expectations to universities clear,'' he said on Friday."While they're working with overseas universities, they have to complywith Australian law and protect the national interest.'' Mr Clare said theAlbanese government is taking "further steps to strengthen researchsecurity in universities" and would add national security requirements tothe standards for university registration.
Senator Paterson said the university should not have sent an academic to Iranfor any reason.
"Sydney University's latest excuses and obfuscation indicate a remarkableinstitutional refusal to accept responsibility and put Australia's nationalsecurity first,'' he said.
Research security expert Brendan Walker-Munro said enemy nations, competitorsand criminals are trying to steal secrets from Australia's universities. Hewarned that academics in seemingly innocuous fields, such as history oragriculture, could be targets for foreign spies.
"Even a university researcher in the humanities field still has access touniversity information and networks and student information that might bemaking them a target for potential foreign intelligence operatives,'' DrWalker-Munro said.
"When they're in a foreign country the intelligence services of thosecountries might access their devices they might take them whilst at the airportor access them while they're at a hotel, and they could put anything on thatdevice, malware, some kind of surveillance technology, and then get access tothe university's research data in that way as well.
"They could use the information to blackmail or harm students orscholars."