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ASIO boss warns foreign government 'puppeteer' tried to meddle in Australian election (9news.com.au)
A foreign government has been busted meddling in an Australian election, going as far as to identify potential political candidates in an operation costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, Australia's spy boss has warned.
The concerning development, said to have been blocked by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), was just one of a host of threats laid out by ASIO director-general Mike Burgess on Wednesday night, from spies on Tinder to COVID-related extremism.
He said a wealthy individual — "the puppeteer" — with roots in Australia but ties to a foreign government and its spy services, hired someone for "foreign interference operations" and poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into an offshore bank account.
The spy boss did not reveal which election or jurisdiction had been targeted.
Working to "undermine Australia's sovereignty", the employee then looked for likely candidates who were friendly to the foreign power or seen as "vulnerable to inducements and cultivation".
"The employee used existing relationships with politicians, staffers and journalists to select potential targets, without revealing the secret intent, the foreign connection or the puppeteer's involvement," Mr Burgess said.
"The puppeteer and the employee plotted ways of advancing the candidates' political prospects through generous support, placing favourable stories in foreign language news platforms and providing other forms of assistance."
According to ASIO, the pair even looked into hiring political consultants, advertising agencies and PR specialists to help some of the candidates.
Not hard to guess what country they are referring too, they'd be targeting every country's elections, especially if they have coastline on the Pacific.
A foreign government has been busted meddling in an Australian election, going as far as to identify potential political candidates in an operation costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, Australia's spy boss has warned.
The concerning development, said to have been blocked by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), was just one of a host of threats laid out by ASIO director-general Mike Burgess on Wednesday night, from spies on Tinder to COVID-related extremism.
He said a wealthy individual — "the puppeteer" — with roots in Australia but ties to a foreign government and its spy services, hired someone for "foreign interference operations" and poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into an offshore bank account.
The spy boss did not reveal which election or jurisdiction had been targeted.
Working to "undermine Australia's sovereignty", the employee then looked for likely candidates who were friendly to the foreign power or seen as "vulnerable to inducements and cultivation".
"The employee used existing relationships with politicians, staffers and journalists to select potential targets, without revealing the secret intent, the foreign connection or the puppeteer's involvement," Mr Burgess said.
"The puppeteer and the employee plotted ways of advancing the candidates' political prospects through generous support, placing favourable stories in foreign language news platforms and providing other forms of assistance."
According to ASIO, the pair even looked into hiring political consultants, advertising agencies and PR specialists to help some of the candidates.
Not hard to guess what country they are referring too, they'd be targeting every country's elections, especially if they have coastline on the Pacific.
