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Mr Mike Burgess, current Director-General of Security in charge of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), delivered his latest address on Tuesday.
Mr Burgess noted that the threats aimed at the country were at their peak since Asio was founded. Each year, Asio’s director-general is tasked to give a public speech regarding the various threats faced by Australia. However, his latest speech on Tuesday was not comforting.
He claimed that foreign operatives had made an effort to persuade or seduce a broad spectrum of individuals, including government officials, judges, journalists, bankers, doctors, and police officers, to reveal information.
The tensions between the US and China over territorial issues are claimed to be feeding the “thirst for inside information and an appetite for covert influence.”
“Based on what Asio is seeing, more Australians are being targeted for espionage and foreign interference than at any time in Australia’s history.
“From where I sit, it feels like hand-to-hand combat.”
“I want to dispel any sense that espionage is some romantic Cold War notion,” he said. “It’s not – it is a real and present danger.”
Mr. Burgess did not identify the nations responsible for the numerous conspiracies he described. But, intelligence officials and Lawmakers have frequently cautioned – on the record and off – that China is the primary source of attempts to exert influence in Australia covertly.
“As we progress (on) Aukus, it’s critical our allies know we can keep our secrets and keep their secrets,” Mr Burgess said while referring to a security pact that Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom had in order to give Australia access to nuclear submarine technology.
Australia needs to be careful as geopolitical attacks become more rampant, not only to authoritarian countries but also with allies, as advised by Burgess.
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