Australia Downgrades National Terror Threat level

Australian Security Intelligence Organisation ASIO Director General Mike Burgess prepearing for his annual speech at ASIO headquarters in Canberra, on March 17, 2021. AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

Australia’s terror threat level has been downgraded, with the director general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) saying that decision was not taken lightly or made casually.

In a speech on Nov. 28, ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess said that although the country remains a potential target for terrorists, there are fewer groups who would undertake a domestic attack.

“After careful consideration and consultation, ASIO is lowering Australia’s national terrorism threat level to Possible,” he said. “A decision of this nature is not taken lightly or made casually.”

He also warned that downgrading the terror threat level did not mean the threat was extinguished.

“‘Possible’ does not mean ‘negligible,’” he said.

“It remains plausible that someone will die at the hands of a terrorist in Australia within the next 12 months—although, of course, my organisation will literally work around the clock to prevent that from happening.”

Currently, ASIO believes the most likely terrorist threat to occur in Australia involves a lone actor using a basic and easily obtained weapon such as a knife or vehicle.

He said that ASIO was still scrutinising Australians who embrace violent extremist beliefs, but critically there are fewer individuals involved in this than previously, and he noted fewer of those people are likely to conduct an actual attack inside Australia.

Opposition and Government Welcomes Decision

Members of the government and opposition have welcomed the decision, with Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil thanking ASIO personnel and security and law enforcement professionals who have made the downgrading possible through their hard work.

“They are methodical, they are calm, and they are amongst the best security experts in the entire world. And we are very lucky in Australia that they are on the fight for us,” O'neil said in a speech (pdf).

“We have had a lot of success in the fight against terrorism in our country, and it’s really important on a day like today to note our vigilance in the face of the future but also to note how many lives have been saved by the work of the people that we acknowledge today.”

Meanwhile, Shadow Minister for Cyber Security and Countering Foreign Interference James Paterson welcomed the decision, telling the ABC it’s a positive step that means Australia is “a little bit safer.”

“This is a result of the investments and the powers that the Parliament has previously given ASIO,” he said.

He also warned against any watering down of the security organisations’ powers.

“We do need to remain vigilant, and we do need to make sure that those resources and those powers that ASIO has been given, particularly over the last decade, remain in place and are not undermined or cut back in any way because otherwise, ASIO won’t have the resources it needs to deal with this problem,” he said.

ASIO Focusing on Countering Foreign Interference and Espionage

The decision to downgrade the threat level comes after Burgess, in February said that ASIO is now focusing most of its resources on foreign interference and espionage.

“Threat to life will always be a priority for ASIO and our partners, but it’s important to note that espionage and foreign interference has now supplanted terrorism as our most serious security concern,” Burgess told a senate estimates hearing.

“This is not to downplay the significance of terrorism. In terms of the scale and sophistication, though, espionage and foreign interference threats are outpacing terrorism threats, and therefore demand more attention and resources.”

Burgess has declined to name which countries have been involved in foreign interference in Australia but has noted the organisation was seeing attempts at foreign interference at all levels of government in all states and territories.

“Attempts at political interference are not confined to one side of the politics, and you'd be surprised by the range of countries involved,” Burgess said.

The comments from Burgess came amid revelations by the spy boss that ASIO had disrupted a plot by an foreign agent acting on behalf of an unnamed foreign power, to bankroll potential Manchurian candidates for the Australian Labor Party in the state of New South Wales in the federal election held in May.

The plot lead Burgess to speak to leader of the Labor Party, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese who told reporters on Feb. 11 that the potential candidates were ultimately not preselected to run by the party.