Australia’s spy chief yesterday faced calls to name a former politician that he said had “sold out” to a foreign intelligence service as a former prime minister’s son said he had been targeted by a group with links to a state parliamentarian.
Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Director-General of Security Mike Burgess said in an annual speech on Wednesday that his agency had confronted a spy ring from a country he did not name, which had recruited an unnamed former politician several years ago.
Burgess said that the former politician had “sold out” their country and at one point suggested a plot to introduce a family member of the prime minister into the spies’ orbit, although the plan did not go ahead.
Photo: The Guardian
Following the revelations, Alex Turnbull, the son of former Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, said in an interview with News.com.au yesterday that he had been approached about an infrastructure project by a group of suspected Chinese agents while his father was in office in about 2017.
The group had links to a former New South Wales state Labor party parliamentarian, Alex Turnbull said, without naming the individual.
In his speech, Burgess said the person had not been charged by police because they were no longer active.
“This politician sold out their country, party and former colleagues to advance the interests of the foreign regime,” he said.
Current and former members of the opposition party yesterday pushed the government to release the former politician’s name to avoid insinuations against those who had done nothing wrong.
Opposition party leader Peter Dutton said on radio station 2GB that if Burgess did not identify the person “then there is a cloud hanging over everybody else.”
Australian Minister for Defence Richard Marles said he was not aware of the details of the case, but told reporters in Canberra he respected the agency’s decision to keep the name confidential.
“What’s important here to understand is, firstly, that there is a threat of foreign espionage in this country, that those of us who are involved in public administration, including politicians, obviously, need to be completely vigilant about that,” Marles said.
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