Australian intelligence services say the country faces “unprecedented” problems of foreign espionage and interference. The announcement comes amid a backdrop of growing competition with China in the Indo-Pacific strategic conflict zone.
The Director General of the Australian Security Organization explained: “More Australians are exposed to foreign espionage and interference than at any other time in history. More hostile foreign intelligence services, more spies, more targets, more damage, more investigations into the Australian Security Organization. and Intelligence (ASIO), Mike Burgess.
The Director General noted that veterans, judges and journalists are among the targets of this practice, which includes “multiple” spies from “multiple” countries. In one such action, two Australian residents who were critical of two international authoritarian regimes were prevented from physically assaulting them.
Last week, Australian Home Secretary Claire O’Neill publicly accused Iran of spying on an anti-Asian activist living in Australia.
In recent years, Australia has issued several laws to prevent alleged foreign interference in the country’s politics and economy, and accuses China of being behind cyber attacks on universities and government agencies, as well as being suspected of funding some politicians.
The Australian government even signed an AUKUS defense agreement with the US and UK in September 2021, which includes Canberra’s acquisition of nuclear submarines.
At the same time, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese sought to reach out to Beijing, his main trading partner, and resolve the two countries’ many differences.
