Login
iscover
As part of a marked uptick in defence infrastructure investment, the federal government plans to partially underwrite a new university program in Perth. Aimed at deepening the national security debate, the news comes as part of Australia’s response to a shifting geostrategic environment.
To continue reading the rest of this article, please log in.
Create free account to get unlimited news articles and more!
Overall, Defence will provide $1.3 million to the University of Western Australia (UWA) over four years to develop its "Defence and Security Program". The program will be closely integrated with state government, industry, academia and Defence to research and analyse national security issues.
Minister for Defence Linda Reynolds made the announcement of the grant on Monday, during her address to the the Perth USAsia Centre.
Local media report that the program will be headed up by the centre's Professor Peter Dean. While Dean has so far stayed tight-lipped about particular areas the program will focus on, he did say that it will identify "new priority interests" over the next three years.
“We will be working with stakeholders through a series of virtual and face-to-face roundtables, dialogues and events, over the three-year life of the grant funding,” Professor Dean said.
“We are also aiming to group together UWA’s significant defence-relevant policy and academic capabilities in a way that benefits Australia’s defence community.
“The UWA Defence and Security Program will deliver major strategic policy papers to Defence, and we will make recommendations to government when our research shows ways in which Australia can further its strategic interests.”
Defence supports a range of independent research to inform its strategic policy advice to government, as well as to enhance the public debate on national security issues through its annual, open and competitive Strategic Policy Grants Program.
Defence is currently funding 24 activities through the 2020 round of the program, representing around $6.2 million in funding through the 2022-23 financial year.
