Australia’s spy chief: friendly nations engaged in foreign interference
- ASIO head Mike Burgess discloses surprising foreign interference by allied nations, impacting Australian communities and politics
Australia’s spy chief on Sunday accused some friendly nations of running foreign interference operations in the country, saying their identities would surprise people if revealed.
Canberra last year named Iran as having engaged in foreign interference, adding that Australian intelligence had disrupted “individuals” conducting a surveillance operation on an Iranian-Australian’s home.
But other countries are also secretly attempting to interfere in Australia’s political system and in its diaspora communities, said Mike Burgess, director general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO).
“I can think of at least three or four that we’ve actually actively found involved in foreign interference in Australian diaspora communities,” Burgess said in an interview with public broadcaster ABC.
“Some of them would surprise you. Some of them are also our friends,” he said.
Burgess declined to identify the countries involved beyond confirming the government’s allegation of Iran’s involvement.