Australian Politician Betrayed Country to Help Spy for Foreign Regime: ASIO Reveals

ASIO would not name the country, but revealed an ‘A-team’ of spies actively recruited locals to spy for a foreign regime.

Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) Director General Mike Burgess poses for a portrait ahead of his annual threat assessment speech at ASIO headquarters in Canberra, Australia on Feb. 28, 2024. AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

The latest annual threat assessment from ASIO, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, includes several alarming revelations about the level of threat faced by the country—including from within.

ASIO revealed that while some people collaborating with foreign intelligence agents are victims of deception, others willingly provide information and sometimes high-level access. In one instance, an autocratic foreign regime tried to physically harm Australian-based critics and attempted to find dissidents to make them “disappear.”