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| (ASIO), Mike Burgess, Photo YouTube |
In a stark and unsettling address this week, Australia’s top spy delivered a chilling warning that has pierced the nation’s sense of security. The Director-General of Security for the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), Mike Burgess, declared that at least three foreign nations are both “willing and capable” of carrying out “lethal targeting“—or political assassination—on Australian soil.
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YouTube Credits 2025 Lowy Lecture
Delivering the Lowy Institute Lecture at Sydney Town Hall, Mr. Burgess painted a dark picture of a security environment where certain regimes are increasingly prepared to conduct “high-harm operations” against perceived political dissidents, even in a country as geographically distant as Australia.
Perhaps the most insidious aspect of his warning was the method he described: foreign governments are likely to try and conceal their involvement by employing “criminal cut-outs.”
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Plausible Deniability: Using local criminal networks or intermediaries provides regimes with a layer of plausible deniability, making it exceptionally difficult for Australian authorities to trace the attack back to a state actor.6
Protecting Dissidents and Sovereignty
The speech makes it clear that the nature of espionage and foreign interference has moved far beyond traditional spying. It now encompasses overt acts of violence that threaten not only the lives of individuals but also the very concept of Australian sovereignty.
The dissidents targeted are often Australians or permanent residents who have fled oppressive regimes and believe they are safe here. Mr. Burgess emphasised that ASIO and its law enforcement partners are “acutely alive” to this escalating danger and are working around the clock to prevent a politically motivated assassination from ever happening.
Domestic Extremism: A rising tide of ideologically motivated extremism, including nationalist and racist violent groups, often incubated online.
In a world increasingly defined by geopolitical conflict and “strategic power competition,” the Director-General’s speech is a wake-up call. It’s a reminder that even in our peaceful nation, we are not immune to the world’s most dangerous state-sponsored threats.