In short:
The federal government is introducing several new measures to fight the growing threat of foreign interference, including making the Counter Foreign Interference Taskforce permanent.
Amendments to migration regulations are also being activated to help identify and manage the risk of foreign interference and espionage during visa screening.
The government says it will also explore other changes to Australia's migration system, including using cancellation powers against people involved in suspected plots.
New measures to fight the growing threat of foreign interference are being introduced as details emerge of recent plots by overseas agents to eliminate ethnic dissidents on Australian soil.
With authorities continuing to disrupt international attempts to track and harass members of multicultural communities, the Counter Foreign Interference Taskforce established in 2020 will be made permanent and expanded to include agencies such as the Australian Taxation Office.
In one recent case, national security agencies discovered a local public servant and a doctor had been recruited to help track down a critic of a foreign regime, which then offered thousands of dollars to its agents to do "whatever was necessary" to silence the dissident.
The ABC has learnt that authorities also recently uncovered a plot by an international intelligence service to lure an Australian resident who was critical of a foreign regime offshore where they could then be "eliminated".
Another recently disrupted interference plot involved a foreign government recruiting agents to closely monitor a dissident in Australia, by renting a property near the individual and covertly accessing their financial records.
During his annual threat assessment delivered in February, ASIO Director General Mike Burgess warned that more Australians "are being targeted for espionage and foreign interference than ever before"
National security agencies focused on a number of nations
While China has been long considered a leading source of espionage and foreign interference in Australia, the ABC has confirmed national security agencies are also focused on the activities of nations such as Cambodia, Rwanda and Iran.
Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil says the Albanese government is now introducing a "world-leading package of reforms" to address emerging elements of the constantly evolving threat of foreign interference.
A new Technology Foreign Interference Taskforce (TechFIT), similar to the University Interference Taskforce (UFIT) will be established to protect the sector from espionage, sabotage and other international threats.
The federal government is also establishing a new Foreign Interference Communities Support Hub to help local ethnic groups better understand and identify threats as well as how to mitigate and report them.
"Foreign interference is a complex problem and we are constantly working with our agencies to make sure that we are covering all possible avenues of attack", Claire O'Neil said.
"These changes are essential upgrades to our defences, which will result in vulnerable communities and sensitive technologies being better protected from a threat that the Director General of ASIO has identified as the most serious we face."
Amendments to migration regulations are also being activated to help identify and manage the risk of foreign interference and espionage during visa screening, including targeted conditions for foreign postgraduate students seeking to study in critical technology areas.
The government says it will also explore how other protections against foreign interference can be built into Australia's migration system, including by using cancellation powers against people involved in suspected plots.
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2024-07-05 14:24:51Z
CBMiaGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDI0LTA3LTA2L2dvdmVybm1lbnQtYm9vc3RzLWVmZm9ydHMtdG8tZmlnaHQtZm9yZWlnbi1pbnRlcmZlcmVuY2UvMTA0MDY2MjE00gEoaHR0cHM6Ly9hbXAuYWJjLm5ldC5hdS9hcnRpY2xlLzEwNDA2NjIxNA
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