ASIO chief Mike Burgess’s warning over language threat ‘was for everyone’

ASIO director-general Mike Burgess says his warning against inflammatory language after the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel was not specifically directed at Peter Dutton, as suggested by Labor.

The pro-Palestine rally in Sydney on Saturday. Picture: Getty Images

ASIO director-general Mike Burgess says his warning against inflammatory language after the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel was not specifically directed at Peter Dutton, as suggested by Labor.

He told a Senate estimates hearing his comments on the threat to social cohesion were directed “at all Australians, including myself”.

Mr Burgess said while the nation’s terrorist threat level remained unchanged, the risk of local violence linked to the Israel-Hamas war would increase as the conflict went on and protests intensified.

“ASIO is not seeing evidence of planned violence although the likelihood of opportunistic violence remains real, particularly if tensions, protests and rhetoric increase,” he said.

“I think it’s fair to say the longer this continues and if the nature of it worsens … that is one driver that might change our security environment.”

Mr Burgess said ASIO was not interested in everyday Australians who were protesting on the conflict, “but rather the small subset of protesters who might wish to escalate protest to violence”.

“This includes religiously motivated and ideologically motivated violent extremists, or anyone who believes that violence is a means to further their own interests,” he said.