The chief of Australia’s domestic intelligence agency Mike Burgess, has claimed that a former politician “sold out their country, party and former colleagues” after being recruited by spies for a foreign regime. Without naming the foreign regime or politician, the chief of the ASIO (Australian Security Intelligence Organisation) outlined the prolific activities of a spy network he labelled “the A-team”.
Burgess said he was speaking about it as he wanted to publicly let the foreign spy network know that their cover is blown. He was clear that the focus of this network was Australia. “We are its priority target.” he noted.
The foreign agency was trying to reach out to Australians with access to privileged information through professional networking sites. This enabled them to recruit students, academics, politicians, businesspeople, researchers, law enforcement officials and public servants using false personae to approach their targets.
“Some of the names they adopt include Sophy, Amy, Ben and Eric, but the team can and does use others. Most commonly, they offer their target consulting opportunities, promising to pay thousands of dollars for reports on Australian trade, politics, economics, foreign policy, defence and security,” he warned.
The foreign agency, he said, was “offering Australian defence industry employees money in return for reports on Aukus, submarine technology, missile systems and many other sensitive topics”.
Burgess said members trawled professional networking sites looking for Australians with access to privileged information.
Without naming the politician, Burgess said that this agency “successfully cultivated and recruited a former Australian politician.
This politician sold out their country, party and former colleagues to advance the interests of the foreign regime.”
In 2018, the Australian government passed tough new laws against espionage and foreign interference. Burgess said his agency confronted the foreign agency last year, when a team leader “thought he was grooming another Australian online” but was actually speaking with an Asio officer.
In a career spanning three decades and counting, Ramananda (Ram to his friends) has been the foreign editor of The Telegraph, Outlook Magazine and the New Indian Express. He helped set up rediff.com’s editorial operations in San Jose and New York, helmed sify.com, and was the founder editor of India.com.
His work has featured in national and international publications like the Al Jazeera Centre for Studies, Global Times and Ashahi Shimbun. But his one constant over all these years, he says, has been the attempt to understand rising India’s place in the world.
He can rustle up a mean salad, his oil-less pepper chicken is to die for, and all it takes is some beer and rhythm and blues to rock his soul.
Talk to him about foreign and strategic affairs, media, South Asia, China, and of course India.
