ASIO boss revelations will have people guessing | Samantha Maiden

Just two years ago ASIO warned of a “nest of spies” that it said had been disrupted. Now that nest has been upgraded to a hive, writes Samantha Maiden.

Spy chief Mike Burgess demonstrated in an appearance at Senate estimates this week that if he ever gets tired of the national security beat there’s a job waiting for him as a headline writer.

He boasted of destroying a “hive of spies” as he outlined what ASIO has been up to in recent months and ongoing threats to national security.

Just two years ago ASIO warned of a “nest of spies” that he said had been disrupted. Now, that nest has been upgraded to a hive.

The colourful descriptors never include any revelations – at least not in this public forum – of exactly who these spies are working for undercover.

The assumption many leap to when reading such reports is China.

But informed sources suggest there is reason to believe – that the “hive” he was referring to previously was not a reference to China.

There are four countries that would usually be regarded by national security experts as involved in such espionage activities: China, Russia, North Korea and Iran.

As for the latest “hive” disrupted, it’s believed it does not relate to China either and possibly not even the standard four countries usually suspected of involvement.

Mike Burgess, Director-General of Security at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

In fact, it’s not even clear the MPs heavily involved in the national security space know which country he is talking about – which is an intriguing feature of his colourful evidence to parliament.

No doubt the Albanese government is aware, but that, as they say in the classics, is classified.

Burgess suggested some of these spies are working undercover and may have been in the country for years before conducting covert activities.

The reason he offered for not offering more information was “because the foreign intelligence service is still trying to unpick exactly what and how we knew about its activities”.

“They were good – but ASIO was better,’’ he said.

“We watched them. We mapped their activities. We mounted an intense and sustained campaign of operational activity. We confronted them. And working with our partners, we removed them from this country, privately and professionally. The hive is history.”

The appearance of the ASIO chief in these hearings is a good thing, providing some insight into the work of Australia’s domestic spy agency.

But of course there is also an unspoken dual purpose, to promote the work of ASIO and argue it needs more resources to conduct this work.

ASIO has a budget of $514m this year. That’s an increase of $33m.

Mr Burgess also provided some examples of the work that was involved, including one case where there was a plan to lure a human-rights activist offshore, where the individual could be “disposed of”.

“In another, a lackey was dispatched to locate specific dissidents,’’ he said. “This is what foreign interference can become if left unchecked. This is foreign interference at its most brutal. It is unacceptable and untenable. It is an assault on our sovereignty, an affront to our freedoms.

Intriguingly, he suggested the targets of this “hive of spies” includes judges and journalists.

He spoke of a foreign intelligence service using a “lackey to do its dirty work” that he described as “well connected and well regarded in business and political circles, Australian-born and not publicly associated with the overseas government, but all too willing to put its interests ahead of Australia’s.”

That will certainly get people guessing. And it certainly got me thinking of likely suspects.

He claimed this mystery man or woman “drew up a list of influential journalists and planned to offer them all-expenses-paid ‘study tours’ of the foreign country”.

He suggested the unlucky reporters would be taken to meet officials, who were really spies in disguise, overseas.

However, the planned “study tour” never got off the ground.

The ASIO chief also referenced, “repeated attempts to hack into scores of Australian media outlets – so many, it appears to be a concerted campaign.”

At least one such plot tried to recruit senior Australian journalists.

Another reminder to hacks to be careful of those bringing the gifts of free “study tours”. And whatever you do, don’t bring your laptop.

Originally published as ASIO boss revelations will have people guessing | Samantha Maiden