Top spy honoured for leading from the front on cyber threat
ASIO director-general Mike Burgess’ unwavering commitment to national security has earned him a King’s Birthday honour.
ASIO director-general Mike Burgess’s unwavering commitment to national security, focus on the growing cyber threat and headline-grabbing insights into the world of espionage has earned him a King’s Birthday honour.
The seasoned spook has been named a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) after nearly five years at the helm of the nation’s security agency, during which time he has led from the front on the emerging threat posed by cyber crime and artificial intelligence.
Following three decades working in intelligence, security and technology in the public and private sectors, including nearly 20 years at the Australian Signals Directorate, Mr Burgess has honed his expertise in code-breaking, counter-terrorism and espionage.
His appointment as our top spy in 2019 broke a tradition of selecting directors-general from defence and diplomatic backgrounds, and set the stage for a new era in the security landscape defined by increased awareness of the danger of foreign interference and extremism.
The declaration that the stabbing of a bishop by a teenager in western Sydney in April was “ideologically motivated” followed by a series of police raids leading to the arrest of seven youths with alleged links to the attack has placed terrorism and the risk of extremist content being shared online at the centre of public debate.
While the raids were being carried out on the eve of Anzac Day, Mr Burgess used a rare address at the National Press Club to warn about the growing number of minors in his counter-terrorism caseload, stating that Sunni Islamic violent extremism remained his principal concern.
He also put tech companies on notice for failing to prevent terrorists, spies and criminals from using end-to-end encryption on their platforms to stoke extremism, spread disinformation and plot their misdeeds. “If the threat, evidence, safeguards and oversight are strong enough for us to obtain a warrant, then they should be strong enough for the companies to help us give effect to that warrant, to make encryption accountable,” Mr Burgess said.
“Without their help in very limited and strictly controlled circumstances, encryption is unaccountable. In effect, (it) is like building a safe room for terrorists and spies, a secure place where they can plot and plan.”
Mr Burgess’s annual threat assessment has become a must-watch address, with this year’s instalment igniting a firestorm of speculation when the enigmatic spy revealed a former MP had “sold out their country” after being recruited by a foreign regime.
The apparent warning to spy rings operating in Australia did not mention the politician’s name, gender or party affiliation, only that a foreign spy network that he labelled “the A-team” had cultivated the elected representative.
The engineering graduate and one-time Telstra chief information security officer used his 2022 address to reveal ASIO had foiled a plot by an overseas government to install political candidates in the lead-up to an election.
In 2021, he also said his agency had booted a “nest of spies” from the country.
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