Australian Universities Face Trump Probe Over Use of US Funds for Gender Ideology, Abortion, DEI
In a questionnaire sent to Australia’s top universities, the Trump administration has inquired how these institutions — which receive US funding — handle issues like climate alarmism, Christian persecution, Chinese influence, and DEI.
The Trump administration has issued a questionnaire to Australian universities receiving US research funding, seeking transparency on how the nation’s top educational institutions address foreign influence, Christian persecution, diversity, equity and inclusion policies, and more.
The move aims to ensure American taxpayers are funding US interests rather than foreign or ideological agendas, amid federal budget cuts under the incoming administration.
The document, titled ‘Outreach to Implementing Partners,’ contains 36 questions to help evaluate an organisation’s alignment with US priorities. Respondents were given 48 hours to complete the survey.
Grant recipients must clarify if they are turning down funding from China, Russia and Iran, promoting religious freedom, protecting women against gender ideology extremism, and adhering to the Mexico City Policy, which prohibits US funding for groups promoting or performing abortions overseas.
Among the targets of the probe are Group of Eight universities — a consortium that includes the Universities of Melbourne and Sydney, Monash and ANU.
The Go8, which drives 70% of Australia’s university research, has confirmed that at least six of its members have already faced US grant suspensions tied to the probe, though it is unclear which establishments have been affected.
As Australia’s largest research partner, the United States has provided substantial financial backing to Australian universities, including more than US$160 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to Go8 universities between 2020 and 2024. The two nations share nearly 1,000 formal research collaborations.
Backlash From Australian Universities
The move has been met with backlash from some Australian academics and tertiary institutions.
The National Tertiary Education Union’s (NTEU) president, Alison Barnes, condemned the questionnaire as “blatant foreign interference” but did not explain why US taxpayers should fund programs without oversight.
ABC News and The Guardian Australia prominently featured Barnes’ remarks, quoting her claim that “Donald Trump’s hateful agenda is racist, transphobic and misogynistic” and her characterisation of the new funding conditions as “sickening.”
According to both outlets, Ms Barnes also urged the Albanese government to “guarantee Australian researchers would be protected” from any US funding cuts.
Group of Eight chief executive Vicki Thomson also criticised the increased scrutiny on how US funds are used.
While insisting she had no issue with “accountability and transparency,” Ms Thomson warned of the “broader implications of the Trump administration’s policy” on “the future of health and medical research” and “defence collaboration.”
She accused Trump of blurring the “fine line between legitimate inquiry and political ideology” but did not explain why political ideologies around climate, gender and abortion should remain embedded in Australian research projects.
The Go8 has since appealed to US lawmakers and officials and also urged the Australian government to intervene.
A spokesperson for Education Minister Jason Clare said Australia is working with the US government to assess the impact of these measures on future funding and collaboration.
“We look forward to working with US counterparts to demonstrate the benefits of collaborative research to both US and Australia’s interests,” he said.
Meanwhile, Shadow Education Minister Sarah Henderson said it was reasonable for the US to scrutinise an issue like foreign interference, noting that the higher education sector “plays an important role in combating foreign interference and influence, and safeguarding our values in the face of increasing threats from others who want to do us harm.”
A List of the Survey Questions
The full list of questions contained in the survey appears below.
- Does your organisation have a current risk management framework or policy?
- Can you confirm your agency has not collaborated with, faced accusations of, or been investigated for working with entities on the terrorism watch list, cartels, narco/human traffickers, organised crime, or groups promoting mass migration in the last 10 years?
- Does your organisation conduct regular counterterrorism vetting of employees, sub-awardees, etc.?
- Does the project encourage partners to adopt policies respecting national sovereignty and culture, strengthen patriotic values, and reduce dependence on external institutions?
- Does your organisation promote free speech and encourage open debate and free sharing of information?
- Does your organisation have a clear policy prohibiting collaboration, funding, or support for entities advocating or implementing policies contrary to U.S. government interests, national security, and sovereignty?
- Is your organisation compliant with the latest Mexico City Policy?
- Does your organisation have an approach to transitioning projects off foreign assistance?
- Does this project demonstrate clear cost-effectiveness and take active measures to mitigate waste, fraud, and abuse?
- Does your organisation have an anti-trafficking policy?
- Can you confirm your organisation does not work with entities associated with communist, socialist, or totalitarian parties, or any party espousing anti-American beliefs?
- Does this project reinforce U.S. sovereignty by limiting reliance on international organisations or global governance structures?
- Can you confirm your organisation has not received ANY funding from the PRC, Russia, Cuba, or Iran?
- Does this project directly contribute to limiting illegal immigration or strengthening U.S. border security?
- Can you confirm this is not a DEI project or contains no DEI elements?
- Can you confirm this is not a climate or “environmental justice” project or contains no such elements?
- Does this project support U.S. energy independence or reduce global reliance on hostile countries for energy resources?
- Does this project support lifesaving assistance?
- Does this project take appropriate measures to protect women and defend against gender ideology as defined in the Executive Order below?
- Does this project take appropriate measures to protect children?
- Does this project have burden sharing, cost sharing, or private investments?
- Does this project create measurable benefits for U.S. domestic industries, workforce, or economic sectors?
- Does this project have a sustainability plan to transition away from foreign assistance within the next five years?
- Does this project fulfill a national security need that cannot be met without this entity?
- How much does this project directly impact efforts to counter malign influence, including China?
- What impact does this project have on preventing illegal immigration to the U.S.?
- What impact does this project have on limiting the flow of fentanyl, synthetic drugs, and precursor chemicals into the U.S.?
- To what degree does this project directly impact U.S. health security?
- To what extent does this project strengthen partner and ally security assistance by contributing to securing U.S. borders, protecting sovereignty, and upholding national security?
- Does this project directly impact transnational, organised, and/or cybercrime, drug and human trafficking to protect American lives and national security?
- What impact does this project have on protecting religious minorities, promoting religious freedom, and combatting Christian persecution?
- What impact does this project have on increasing American influence, trust, and reputation within foreign governments?
- What impact does this project have on increasing American influence, trust, and reputation among foreign publics?
- What is the specific financial return of this project, including measurable dividends, cost-benefit analysis, and economic impact?
- How much does this project bring in through cost-sharing/burden sharing?
- Does this project directly impact efforts to strengthen U.S. supply chains or secure rare earth minerals?
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Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
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Make ’em squeal, Mister President!
I am so glad that the Trump administration is demanding via this survey, accountability of these Higher Education institutions not only what they believe but what is being promulgated to impressionable young people. Praise God. With the squealing we can see that other agendas are at play. May the great shakeup continue. I do not see how the American taxpayer has to fund the nonsense that has been spewed out over many decades now and shaping our national destiny with false narratives/foreign influences by our universities.
Yay!
I listened to an interview about this survey. It came across as very biased anti USA, but reading this article, it makes sense. The lefties don’t like Trump and don’t understand that the Govt is only doing what the majority of people in the US want. America has a right to protect her people, whether I agree or not!
America is entrirely within her rights to protect her interests. Great article Kurt!!!!
Reading this list certainly gives us an insight as to why Ms Barnes is squirming!
Love it!
Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth! If universities want money, they should abide in the giver’s conditions.
Most of the questions are directed towards specific projects that would be funded, and therefore a number of the questions would be irrelevant, depending on the research. A quick reading of the questins leaves me convinced that Aussie unis would fail about half the questions, even counting the project specific aspect.