“Insidious”: Former ASIO boss warns about China’s interference in Australia
Retired ASIO chief Duncan Lewis has reportedly accused the Chinese government of using “insidious” foreign interference operations to “take over” the Australian political system.
In the only interview Lewis has given since retiring in September, he has urged Australia’s Chinese community to help security agencies in the same way that Muslim communities have identified threats of terrorist activity.
When asked by the Sydney Morning Herald as to what the Chinese government wanted from Australia, Lewis had a chilling answer.
"They are trying to place themselves in a position of advantage," Lewis said.
"Espionage and foreign interference is insidious. Its effects might not present for decades and by that time it's too late. You wake up one day and find decisions made in our country that are not in the interests of our country," Lewis explained.
"Not only in politics but also in the community or in business. It takes over, basically, pulling the strings from offshore."
Lewis was the director-general of security for five years as head of ASIO, the intelligence agency whose primary job to guard Australia against foreign interference.
Covert foreign intrusion in the middle of Australian politics is “something we need to be very, very careful about”, he said in the interview.
"One spectacular case in NSW was Sam Dastyari. It's quite clear to me that any person in political office is potentially a target. I'm not trying to create paranoia, but there does need to be a level of sensible awareness,” Lewis said.
"When people talked about [how to define foreign interference in] our political system, I used to get the comment, 'We will know it if we see it'. But not necessarily. Not if it's being done properly. There would be some I don't know about."
Sam Dastyari, former Labor senator, quit Parliament in 2017 after it was revealed he had links to Chinese Communist Party-aligned interests in Australia.
Lewis’ remarks come after Liberal MPs Andrew Hastie and Senator James Paterson were denied visas to travel to China after the MPs criticised its human rights record.
In an opinion piece published in The Australian, senior Chinese diplomat Wang Xining accused the MPs of having double standards and showing disrespect.
"It is cynical that in a country boasting freedom of speech, different views from another nation are constantly and intentionally obliterated," Mr Wang wrote.
"Understanding truth succumbs to being politically right. A people said to be audacious and adventurous like kangaroos are scared of stepping out of the comfort zone of ideas and thinking."