Category: ASIO

Plans to Teach Academics, Students to Identify Foreign Interference on Campus

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…


Terrorist Attack Likely in Next 12 Months: Australian Intelligence Chief

Australia’s domestic intelligence chief has said he believes that a terrorist attack on Australian soil is likely within the next year. The comments came during a parliamentary inquiry, where the Australian Federal Police chief called the internet a “salad bar of hate” responsible for amplifying extremist messaging. Mike Burgess, director-general of the Australian Security Intelligence…


Australian Spy Chief Stands by Decision to Drop ‘Islamic’ Label for ‘Religiously Motivated’ Extremism

Australia’s domestic spy chief is standing by the agency’s decision to drop the sensitive term “Islamic extremism” to “religiously motivated violent extremism,” saying such activity was not limited to one religion. Mike Burgess, the director-general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), did concede, though that Islamic extremism was the leading motivator behind recent terrorist…


Australian Spy Agency’s Decision to Drop ‘Left-Right,’ ‘Islamic’ Label, Highlights the Divisive Power of Words

Australia’s domestic spy agency’s decision to drop sensitive labels such as “left-right” and “Islamic extremism” has received a mixed reaction, with one religious expert saying the shift to broader terminology could inadvertently mislead public perception of extremist behaviour. Last week, Mike Burgess, director-general of the Australian Security and Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), delivered the Annual Threat…


Australian Spy Agency to Drop ‘Islamic,’ ‘Left-Right’ Labels in Describing Evolving Extremist Threats

Australia’s domestic spy agency will no longer use terms such as ‘left-wing,’ ‘right-wing,’ and ‘Islamic extremism’ when describing potential terrorist or security threats to the nation. During the agency’s Annual Threat Assessment, Burgess said the left-right and Islamic labels were “no longer fit for purpose”, and the agency would, instead, use the categories “religiously motivated…


Chinese Businessman Deemed a ‘National Security Risk’ Fights Australian Deportation Order

A Melbourne-based Chinese businessman is fighting deportation after allegedly being assessed as a national security risk by Australian intelligence services. Liu “Haha” Huifeng, an ex-soldier of the People’s Liberation Army—China’s military—was denied permanent residency on character grounds in September after concerns were allegedly raised by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) and the acting immigration…