On Wednesday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison highlighted six sectors of technology that he claimed were critical to his country's interests, promising millions of dollars to protect them from strategic competitors.
The decision comes amid rising tensions with China, with Canberra increasingly anxious that Beijing could be using
Australian technological know-how to help it dominate the sector – typically through cooperative research initiatives. Canberra, for example, has virtually blocked Huawei from operating Australia's 5G network, a move that has sparked a significant diplomatic spat between the two countries.
What did Morrison have to say about it?
"In most cases, having diverse well-functioning markets can meet our technology needs," Morrison said at a forum hosted by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. "However, in some cases — for critical technologies — we need to ensure we can access and use such technologies reliably and safely, in good times and bad," Morrison said.
This investment will assist Australian firms secure future economic possibilities, create local jobs, and, most crucially, keep Australians safe," he continued.
"Australia is working with like-minded countries, particularly liberal democracies," the prime minister said, "to ensure that global technology regulations and norms reflect those principles — liberal democratic values."
Protective measures, he said, will try to "balance the economic potential of key technology with the threats they pose to national security."
He stated, "The plain fact is that nations on the cutting edge of technology have greater economic, political, and military strength."
What sectors does the government wish to safeguard?
Morrison stated that Australia has identified 63 key technologies that it wishes to safeguard against foreign dominance.
5G communications, quantum technology, artificial intelligence, enhanced magnets, 3D printing, drones, vaccinations, genomics, and innovative antibiotics are among the technologies on the list.
Morrison has donated A$100 million ($73 million, €64.6 million) to help quantum technology research acquire a global market footing.
Quantum technologies, which are based on the physics of subatomic particles, are predicted to become increasingly important in fields including health care, finance, artificial intelligence, and weather forecasting.According to a 2020 report by the CSIRO, Australia's scienceagency, the business may create more than $4 billion in revenue and 16,000 jobs over the following two decades.
What safeguards should be implemented?
Domestic universities conducting cooperative research with foreign institutions in the 63 areas specified may face restrictions.
Such technologies would not be automatically banned or outlawed, according to Morrison, but they might be subject to "extra risk management," such as procedures to prevent "unwanted tech transfer" between government, industry, and academia.
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