Spies tried to rig Australian election, ASIO boss reveals

A sophisticated attempt to rig an Australian election was disrupted by domestic spy agency ASIO, it has been revealed.

A sophisticated attempt to rig an Australian election was disrupted by domestic spy agency ASIO, it has been revealed.

ASIO’s Director-General Mike Burgess revealed tantalising details of the case, which were directed by a man he dubbed “the puppeteer’’ and bankrolled through an offshore account.

“This year — a federal election year — we need to be particularly on guard against foreign political interference,’’ Mr Burgess told a crowd of intelligence community figures at his third annual threat assessment in Canberra on Wednesday night.

“I can confirm that ASIO recently detected and disrupted a foreign interference plot in the lead-up to an election in Australia.’’

He would not reveal the jurisdiction or election involved, or the foreign interest behind the plot, although it has all the hallmarks of a Chinese Communist Party-backed operation.

“This case involved a wealthy individual who maintained direct and deep connections with a foreign government and its intelligence agencies,’’ Mr Burgess said, naming the individual the “puppeteer’’ who he said answered to a foreign government.

He said the “puppeteer” had hired a person to enable the foreign influence operation, and funded it with hundreds of thousands of dollars accessed through an offshore bank accounts.

“Secretly shaping the jurisdiction’s political scene to benefit the foreign power was considered a key performance indicator. It was like a foreign interference start-up,’’ he said.

ASIO’s Director-General Mike Burgess says Australia must be on guard against foreign interference in our elections. Picture: Gary Ramage

The plot involved the hired employee identifying candidates to run in an election based on whether they supported the foreign government, or were considered vulnerable to “inducements or cultivation.’’

“The employee used existing relationships with politicians, staffers and journalists to select potential targets, without revealing the secret intent, the foreign connection or the puppeteer’s involvement,’’ Mr Burgess said.

He said the puppeteer and the hired employee had plotted ways to advance the candidates’ campaigns through financial support, planting stories in foreign-language media, and had investigated hiring political consultants, advertising agencies and PR companies.

“The aim was not just to get the candidates into positions of power, but also to generate a sense of appreciation, obligation and indebtedness that could subsequently be exploited,’’ he said.

“The political candidates had no knowledge of the plot. Even if the plan had proceeded, they would not have known who was pulling the strings. ‘’

ASIO intervened and disrupted the plot, meaning the candidates were not elected, and the opportunity to shape decision-making or lobby and influence others on behalf of a foreign power was lost.

Mr Burgess said foreign influence threats continued to outpace terrorism threats, and could do serious damage to Australia’s national interests. He said multiple countries were trying to commit espionage against Australia, and not just our traditional enemies.

“In some instances, espionage is conducted by countries we consider friends — friends with sharp elbows and voracious intelligence requirements,’’ he said.

Originally published as Spies tried to rig Australian election, ASIO boss reveals