David Feeney (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

I will continue to seek to persuade you. You are looking at the US system as a model. We say the US system is in fact more onerous than the framework we are offering. The critical point here is fundamental research. Our legislation is not seeking to control fundamental research in the same way as it is envisaged by the US system. An amendment to exclude activities conducted where there is an intention to publish would completely undermine the entire operation of the strengthened export control provisions, and it is a critical distinction between the framework offered here and that applying in the United States around this issue of fundamental research. I think that should give enormous comfort to the universities and research institutions with whom you have spoken, because ours is a regime that is not trying to control the conduct or outcomes of the fundamental research you quite reasonably are trying to protect.