Australia’s Intelligence Agency Chief Calls for Greater Public Awareness of Foreign Interference

Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Director-General Duncan Lewis speaks at the Lowy Institute in Sydney, Australia, on Sept. 4, 2019. Courtesy of Peter Morris-Sydney Heads

SYDNEY, Australia—Australia’s outgoing spy chief is urging the public to be more conscious and aware of an extraordinary level of foreign spy activity across the country.

Duncan Lewis, the director-general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) who is retiring this month, in an address to the Lowy Institute in Sydney on Sept. 4, said: “ASIO assesses that the current scale and scope of foreign intelligence activity against Australian interests is unprecedented.”