The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) has unanimously recommended that Parliament pass the Defence Amendment (Safeguarding Australia’s Military Secrets) Bill 2023.
The legislation would restrict former Defence personnel from working for a foreign military organisation or government without authorisation.
The committee consists of Liberal and Labor MPs.
The Bill was passed in response to the revelation that former airforce instructors in Australia and the UK, had been hired by Beijing-linked organisations and were training Chinese pilots.
The inquiry received 12 submissions on the Bill, most of which were supportive, but several submitters felt that definitions of the type of work covered should be clarified.
Macquarie University recommended that it be restricted to “training concerning the military tactics, military operations and military procedures of the Australian Defence Force [ADF],” but the Committee rejected this, saying it was important the legislation cover “all the possible iterations of information that could be imparted to an ADF member and subsequently be at risk of being disclosed to an employer.”
However, it did agree that an exclusion where the work for a foreign government has been authorised.
The PJCIS said it shared concerns that passing the bill would give AUKUS partners assurance that secrets shared under the tri-nation pact will be protected.
