Disinformation a ‘threat to poll’, says AFP chief Reece Kershaw

Disinformation campaigns now pose a direct threat to the integrity of the election.

AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

The growing number of disinformation campaigns now poses a direct threat to the integrity of the forthcoming federal election, the head of the Australian Federal Police has warned.

AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw has also warned of an increase in espionage and foreign interference threats, saying the challenge is expected to get worse in the year ahead.

In his opening remarks to Senate Estimates on Monday night, Mr Kershaw pledged that the AFP would exercise its full powers to crack down on disinformation during the coming election campaign.

“In the lead-up to this year’s election, I am concerned about the prevalence of disinformation and the impact this can have on the integrity of our institutions and the election itself,” Mr Kershaw said. “Where disinformation reaches a criminal threshold, particularly where it urges or ­advocates violence, the AFP will be exercising the full force of its powers.”

Mr Kershaw did not describe the types of disinformation campaigns that the agency was most concerned about.

However, his warning comes amid a growing prevalence of online campaigns containing disinformation promoted by various interest groups, including anti-vaxxer and anti-vax-mandate protesters. Other disinformation campaigns have spread false rumours about state and federal politicians designed to undermine their chances of re-election.

“For example we charged an individual with computer, carriage service and electoral offences for his role in an offensive spam email campaign” during the 2019 Wentworth and 2020 Eden-Monaro by-elections, he said.

Mr Kershaw also warned of the growing prevalence of espionage and foreign interference. His comments follow warnings last week by ASIO director-general Mike Burgess that foreign powers were trying to meddle in the election and that espionage and foreign interference had now surpassed terrorism for the first time as the agency’s prime concern.

“The AFP is aware of increased espionage and foreign interference threats,” Mr Kershaw told Estimates.

“Most Australians won’t see foreign interference or be targeted by foreign interference. But it has the potential to affect every Australian because it erodes our democracy and our institutions.”

He said the multi-agency Counter Foreign Interference Taskforce had achieved “a number of successful disruptions”.

Without naming China, he said the types of interference included attempts to monitor and harass those in Australia who were viewed as dissidents by authoritarian states. “It may also ­involve attempts to silence members of the community from criticising the policies of regimes in countries to which they maintain links,” he said.