This archive report was first published on 2 December 2019.
On December 2, 2019, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the launch of a new anti-espionage task force to counter foreign interference.
The task force will involve all of Australia's top intelligence agencies, working together to disrupt and deter anyone attempting to undermine the country's national interests.
One of the key features of the task force will be the coordination between intelligence agencies and federal police to identify and prosecute or expel foreign agents.
"We will be developing new specialist capabilities both from an investigatory capacity as well as being able to pursue investigations and bring them to either disrupt activity or, indeed, follow through and prosecute," Morrison said during a press conference in Canberra.
While Morrison did not explicitly mention China, he acknowledged that foreign interference comes from many sources and is an evolving threat.
The announcement comes amid a series of explosive claims by Wang Liqiang, a would-be Chinese defector, about Chinese espionage and covert influence operations in Australia.
Additionally, the recently retired head of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, Duncan Lewis, has said that China wants to "take over" Australia's political system with an "insidious" and systematic campaign of espionage and influence peddling.
