Mike Burgess, ASIO have shown ‘utter contempt’ for stabilisation process with China: former prime minister Paul Keating
Former prime minister Paul Keating says the Labor government and ASIO boss Mike Burgess have shown their ‘anti-China Australian strategic policy’, calling for widespread change.
Former Labor prime minister Paul Keating says ASIO boss Mike Burgess and other members of the security community have displayed “utter contempt for the so-called stabilisation process” with China and has called for the spy boss to be dismissed.
Mr Burgess last week revealed a foreign interference operation had been taking place that involved a former politician “selling out” their country and offering help foreign spies get in contact with a relative of the prime minister.
Within days, reports emerged that China was the origin of the foreign interference.
Mr Keating slammed the Albanese government’s “anti-China Australian strategic policy” and “mindless pro-American stance”.
“The kabuki show runs thus: Burgess drops the claim, then out of nowhere, the Herald and The Age miraculously appear to solve the mystery – the villain, as it turns out, is China after all,” he said in a statement.
“When the Albanese government was elected, the first decision it should have taken was to dismiss Burgess, Andrew Shearer and Mike Pezzullo … unbelievably, Burgess and Shearer still remain at the centre of a Labor government’s security apparatus,” he said.
“This says more about the government than it says about them.
“These people display utter contempt for the so-called stabilisation process that the Prime Minister had decided upon and has progressed with China and will do anything to destabilise any meaningful rapprochement.”
Mr Keating also blasted Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong for raising concerns over the risk of conflict with China and said it was right for Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to say his country would not be pressured to distance itself from Beijing.
“Anwar Ibrahim, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, dropped a huge rock into
Wong’s pond by telling Australia not to piggyback Australia’s problems with China onto ASEAN,” he said.
“Anwar is making it clear, Malaysia for its part, is not buying United States hegemony in East Asia – with states being lobbied to ringfence China on the way through.”
He said this week’s ASEAN meeting made clear “that Australia and Australian policy is at odds with the general tenor of ASEAN’s perceived strategic interests”.
“That is, interests which relate to China and the United States and relations between them,” he said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese denied Australia is sending mixed messages on China, in the wake of the fiery comments, but refused to weigh in on Mr Keating’s suggestion ASIO boss Mike Burgess is undermining the stablisation effort with Beijing.
When asked if Australia was indeed sending “mixed messages” on Beijing, Mr Albanese said: “no”.
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