Commentary The revelation by Mike Burgess, the head of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), that foreign espionage has increased significantly in Australia was unsurprising. Burgess said two years ago that Asia’s counter-espionage activities had surpassed its anti-terrorism efforts in recent times. He previously warned of a plot by a foreign government to have candidates…

Australia’s top intelligence official says a small but concerning number of former defence insiders are putting cash before country. ASIO boss Mike Burgess revealed in his latest annual threat assessment his agency had been tracking veterans willing to sell their military training and expertise to foreign governments for several years. But the issue has only…

Commentary Turf warfare. It’s one of the most destructive and debilitating activities in any enterprise. Government is no exception. Indeed, the government may be the area where it is the most destructive and debilitating. The consequences are manifested in harm to the national interest. Myopic approaches, stove-piped considerations, protecting or desperately trying to increase your…

Threat levels of violent extremism linked to COVID lockdowns have decreased markedly over the past year, according to Australia’s domestic spy chief. “It is true; there are less people in this country who want to conduct active violence in the name of their cause,” said Mike Burgess, head of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO)….

Australia’s terror threat level has been downgraded, with the director general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) saying that decision was not taken lightly or made casually. In a speech on Nov. 28, ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess said that although the country remains a potential target for terrorists, there are fewer groups who would undertake…

Beijing has been operating an overseas police station in Sydney since 2018, the Australian media has revealed. The Public Security Bureau in China’s Wenzhou city has established an official “contact point” in Sydney in 2018, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported on Oct. 13. The move was trumpeted at an official ceremony in Wenzhou in 2019…

Australia needs to push China back “every time” in the South Pacific contest while Beijing only needs to win once to achieve its goal, warns the former head of Australia’s spy agency. The comment comes as Australia and China continue jostling for influence in the South Pacific, with Anthony Albanese recently making his first trip…

Espionage and foreign interference have become a more serious threat to Australia than terrorism, the boss of the country’s spy agency, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), told a Senate estimates hearing on Feb. 14. This comes amid revelations that ASIO disrupted a plot by an agent, referred to as the “puppeteer,” acting on behalf…

The head of Australia’s national security service and intelligence agency said it was vital that the security service of a liberal democracy is transparent and trusted. In his annual threat assessment speech, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation’s (ASIO) Director-General, Mike Burgess, described his vision to push the organisation to become more transparent. “ASIO protects Australia and…

Australian university staff and students will be taught how to recognise foreign interference threats on campus and report them to authorities under newly proposed rules. The changes have been put forward as part of the new foreign interference guidelines for universities. They are intended to strengthen their ability to counter influence from the Chinese Communist…