Tehan to appoint joint task force to monitor research threats

Australia’s universities are to work with federal intelligence agencies to monitor campuses for foreign interference and cybersecurity threats, as part of a national task force announced by federal education minister Dan Tehan.

Speaking at the National Press Club in Canberra on 28 August, Tehan said universities were being increasingly targeted by hackers because of their research and the value of its intellectual property. 

Tehan outlined plans to appoint a group that will be “50 per cent from the university sector and 50 per cent from government agencies” to improve campus security and detect potential threats.