Leaving aside the issue of whether ASIO’s announcement today that there is a ‘traitor in our midst’ is simply a ploy to get more funds in this year’s Federal Budget (something you can never rule out) why hasn’t ASIO and other security and law enforcement agencies in this country pursued the two greatest practitioners of so called foreign influence – the United States followed by Israel?
The foreign interference laws were passed by the federal parliament in 2018. Under these laws foreign interference was criminalised – we were, and are, one of the few countries in the world to have such a law on our statute books.
The laws make it an offence to intentionally or recklessly engage in conduct where it is “on behalf of, or in collaboration with, a foreign principal or a person acting on behalf of a foreign principal” or “the conduct is directed, funded or supervised by a foreign principal or a person acting on behalf of a foreign principal.” The individual has to intend or be reckless as to the conduct being undertaken to “influence a political or governmental process of the Commonwealth or a State or Territory; or “influence the exercise (whether or not in Australia) of an Australian democratic or political right or duty” to name two of the most relevant motives.
These laws however do not prevent registered lobbying on behalf of foreign countries. So all those Australian lobbyists making a fortune from........