The head of Australia's domestic spy agency has warned that foreign interference in the country is at an all-time high, with 'sleeper agents' lying undetected for years. In his annual threat assessment, Mike Burgess, director general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (Asio), stated that the threat of terrorism remains 'probable' and that right-wing extremism is a growing concern.
Burgess revealed the case of a sleeper agent sent by an unspecified foreign intelligence service, who built community and business links while maintaining contact with handlers. The agent fed information about expatriate dissidents, leading to harassment in Australia and overseas, and provided logistical support for visiting spies in exchange for cash payments. Asio disrupted the operation.
The Asio chief noted that foreign interference and espionage levels are now higher than during the Cold War, with sophisticated tactics employed. He also highlighted that children as young as 13 are being targeted by extremist recruiters, describing this as 'truly disturbing'.
Regarding right-wing extremism, Burgess said small cells in Australian suburbs regularly meet to salute Nazi flags, inspect weapons, and share hateful ideology. Australians are joining international white supremacist groups like The Base, which encourage violence. While expecting low-capability attacks, more sophisticated attacks are possible, and state-sponsored terrorism remains a concern.
The number of terrorism leads under investigation has doubled over the past year, and Asio has prevented an Australian from travelling to fight with an extreme right-wing group abroad. Burgess emphasised that the terrorist threat will remain constant in 2020.
