(Sydney) Australia’s intelligence chief has announced his services foiled an attempt at foreign interference in a poll, issuing a warning ahead of the upcoming federal election.
Posted at 12:41 a.m.
The case involved a wealthy person with “a deep connection to a foreign government”, said Mike Burgess, director general of the Australian Security and Intelligence Organization (ASIO), on Wednesday, without specifying which foreign power was involved, or which election was targeted.
“I’ll call that person ‘the puppeteer,'” he explained during an annual threat assessment speech.
The system is described as a ” start-up foreign interference”, in which the “puppeteer” pays thousands of dollars to an employee who tries to influence an election.
The employee identified and targeted promising candidates, who were unaware of the scheme.
“The goal was not just to have candidates in positions of power, but also to create a positive sense of obligation and debt that could be exploited later,” Burgess explained.
If the scheme had not been foiled, allies could have been placed on the teams of the winning candidates, who would have influenced politicians and leaked sensitive information for the benefit of the foreign government.
“In this federal election year, we must be especially vigilant against foreign policy interference,” Burgess warned.
His agency also tracks foreign spies on dating apps like Tinder, Bumble and Hinge, where they try to make connections.
“My message to potential victims on these sites is well known: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” he said.
The Australian intelligence chief also warned of the growing far-right threat in the country, particularly among minors.
Under-18s accounted for 15% of ASIO’s counterterrorism investigations last year, up from 2-3% previously.
“As a nation, we need to think about why some teenagers hang Nazi flags and pictures of the Christchurch killer on their bedroom walls, and why others share beheading videos,” he said. declared.