Confucius Institute

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (15:01): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before addressing a question to the Assistant Minister to the Premier on the topic of her ambassador role at the Adelaide University Confucius Institute.

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS: Confucius Institutes are Chinese language and culture centres set up through partnerships between an Australian university, a Chinese university and Hanban, an organisation directly under China's Ministry of Education. The federal government has been so concerned about Confucius Institutes that the Attorney-General wrote to each of the universities that host them asking that they register with the Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme.

Since I last raised questions with the assistant minister on this topic, I note that the New South Wales government has now not just undertaken a review of Confucius classrooms but indeed they have changed the governance of that program in New South Wales to take control back internally with the New South Wales education department. I further note that this week the assistant minister has provided answers to my previous questions regarding the nondisclosure to media of the contents of the contractual arrangements between Hanban and the Adelaide University with regard to the Confucius Institute, of which the assistant minister is the parliamentary ambassador. In response, the honourable member has stated:

I have written to the Office of the Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Adelaide. Subsequently, the University of Adelaide acted cooperatively and provided me with a copy of the contract.

This is given to me in confidence from the University of Adelaide and not for public disclosure.

My questions to the assistant minister are:

1. Why have you agreed, as an assistant minister in the Marshall government, to not disclose a contract between Hanban and the Adelaide University to the Confucius Institute, of which you are a parliamentary ambassador?

2. What obligations and responsibilities does your role as parliamentary ambassador to the Confucius Institute entail?

3. Are you prohibited from reflecting negatively on Confucius Institutes or, conversely, only able to positively reflect on Confucius Institutes?

The Hon. J.S. LEE (15:03): I thank the honourable member for her continuing interest in Confucius Institutes and matters relating to language studies in South Australia. As I indicated in my previous answers to parliament when the honourable member asked me those questions, I am not the only parliamentary ambassador for the Confucius Institute in this parliament. They have been supported, bipartisan and multipartisan.

In terms of the parliamentary ambassadorship, it is really just to support the Confucius Institute in promoting language studies in the South Australian community. As well, at the time, when it was brought to our attention in 2011, it was to actually engage parliamentarians to do a study tour of China to better understand the role of language studies from arrangements between understanding about China and bilateral relationships with South Australia. The Hon. Mark Parnell was also part of the Confucius Institute study tour back then. A number of members of parliament have participated in the previous study tours.

In terms of disclosure and the question regarding the contractual agreement between Hanban and University of Adelaide, the letter from the University of Adelaide requested that I keep the document confidential. That doesn't mean that I am not willing to disclose to the public. With their permission, if the honourable member would really, really want to instigate a meeting with the University of Adelaide management team to have her read the contractual agreement, I am sure that can be arranged. It is matter for the University of Adelaide to work with members of parliament and the honourable member in that context.