Annual Australian Threat Assessment Spotlights Terrorism and Foreign Interference

Earlier this week, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) Director-General Mike Burgess delivered his agency’s annual threat assessment, explaining the security environment Australia is facing and what is being done to address it. Burgess spoke about two key threats ASIO is focused on: terrorism and foreign interference. Speaking about the first threat, he stated that the terrorist threat remains at probable, acknowledging the “unfortunate reality” that “terrorists are still plotting to harm Australians.” He pointed to violent Islamic extremism, the kind emerging from groups like the Islamic State and al Qa’ida, as being his agency’s first concern. But he also discussed threats from right-wing terrorist groups, noting that this had come into focus following the attacks on New Zealand mosques last year. Burgess’s comments on right-wing extremism elevated it to a level or priority not seen in recent history. In his remarks about the threat of foreign interference, he said that almost every sector in Australia is a potential target for this kind of activity, including government officials and business leaders. Burgess went on to discuss some of the most aggressive and disturbing cases of foreign interference, noting that it is also unlikely that the prevalence of this threat will subside anytime soon. Read the threat assessment at ASIO.