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Foreign spies have set their sights on people in Australia. The government says it is cracking down
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Foreign spies have set their sights on people in Australia. The government says it is cracking down

The government has announced new measures to protect Australians from foreign interference amid evidence that foreign spies have followed, photographed, harassed and intimidated people from multicultural communities in Australia.
A government source has revealed to SBS News details of several plots by foreign spies “from a number of countries” to harm people in Australia, which have been foiled by Australian authorities.
In one case, an insider was offered more than $10,000 to “do whatever it took” to obtain personal information on so-called “dissidents” living in Australia.

Spies and their agents can then use this information to identify, locate, film, harass and intimidate their targets.

Iranian-Australian activist Mohammed Hashem has experienced intimidation by a foreign power first-hand.
His cousin was executed by the Iranian regime and his father was threatened for his son’s activism here in Australia.
“The way they treat me, my family and… others, even those outside Iran, is really terrible,” Hashem told SBS News.
In another case, a foreign intelligence service recruited members of the Australian community as agents to track, photograph and report on an Australian-based “dissident.”
They directed agents to rent a home near the dissident’s home and pressured an agent with access to the dissident’s personal financial data to provide financial records. The dissident was followed throughout his daily life in Australia, in shops, outside of work and beyond his home.
In another, more extreme case, a foreign intelligence service began monitoring a human rights activist and conspired to lure him abroad, where it could “eliminate” him.

In an equally alarming case, an individual working for a foreign government attempted to identify his target’s address and bank details, hired a private detective to take photographs of the house, go through the trash, and asked how much money it would take to hire a subcontractor to make the dissident “disappear.”

In its annual threat assessment presented in March this year, He said more Australians than ever before are being targeted by foreign spying and interference.
He later revealed that a former politician who was spying for a foreign country was a sitting member of the Australian parliament when they were recruited.
They have warned that clandestine operations against the people here by governments such as Iran, Rwanda and Cambodia could lead to violence if left unchecked.
In August 2023, Iranian pro-democracy activist Nos Hosseini had a decapitated chicken placed outside her door in Melbourne, suspected by Iranian agents.
Iran’s ambassador to Australia has denied that the Iranian government is carrying out foreign interference in Australia.
Since its creation in 2020, Australia’s Foreign Counterintelligence Task Force has conducted more than 120 operations against foreign threats.

The taskforce is predominantly led by ASIO, but shares capabilities with other agencies, including the Australian Federal Police.

The government’s offensive against foreign spies

The administration has announced new measures to address the threat of foreign spies, including making the Foreign Counterintelligence Task Force permanent and adding new agencies.
A new task force will be created focusing on the technology sector, where threats regularly emerge, and a support centre will be launched for diaspora communities affected by foreign interference.

The center is designed to educate people on how to identify foreign interference and provide legal and mental health support to those affected by it.

A woman in a red jacket speaks

Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil says the government is responding to the growing threat of foreign interference against people in Australia. Fountain: AAP / Lucas Coch

Home Secretary Clare O’Neil said the “world-first” reforms would help address the “ever-evolving threat” of foreign interference.

“Foreign interference is a complex issue and we are constantly working with our agencies to ensure we cover all possible avenues of attack,” he said.
“These changes are essential improvements to our defences, which will result in vulnerable communities and sensitive technologies being better protected from a threat that the ASIO Director-General has identified as the most serious we face.”
In April, O’Neil introduced powers to review visa applications from graduate students working on critical technology studies and cancel visa applications where there is a risk.
Hashem welcomes government crackdown but says more needs to be done.
“It’s reassuring that they care about us, but honestly, it’s not enough. We need the Australian government to take more serious action.”

With additional reporting by Naveen Razik.

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