Overview
- Director‑General Mike Burgess said at least three foreign governments are willing and capable of lethal targeting of perceived dissidents on Australian soil and that agencies are working around the clock to counter the threat.
- ASIO revealed it intercepted a foreign service that arranged a face‑to‑face meeting in a third country to recruit an Australian for intelligence on the economy, critical minerals and the AUKUS program.
- Burgess said ASIO officers now routinely conduct operations overseas as part of a counterintelligence remit and maintain offices in multiple countries.
- ASIO is investigating links between pro‑Russia influencers in Australia and an offshore media outlet that almost certainly takes direction from Russian intelligence to inflame polarising debates.
- Burgess warned social cohesion is fraying, citing Iran’s use of criminal cut‑outs in anti‑Jewish arson attacks, a rising profile for the National Socialist Network, more disruptive tactics by anti‑Israel activists and the accelerating role of AI in radicalisation and disinformation.