A top-secret report that was commissioned by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in August 2016 has revealed the extent of the Chinese Communist Party’s infiltration into Australian politics.
An intelligence source with knowledge on the investigation told the ABC that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has attempted to influence Australian politics for the past decade, infiltrating every layer of the government down to local councils.
John Garnaut, a former advisor to the prime minister, led the joint investigation that combined the resources of domestic spy agency Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) and the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, according to 9news.
The resulting report outlined a “series of very grave warnings,” which prompted the Turnbull government to propose new laws—the Espionage and Foreign Interference Bill (the National Security Legislation Amendment) 2017—that targets foreign interference, foreign political donations, and espionage. The bill was presented to parliament in December 2017.
While the findings of the report are “necessarily classified,” Turnbull said that from what he had seen of the report, he could confirm that “the reasons for initiating this work were justified and the outcomes have galvanised us to take action.”
