Australian news and politics recap: ASIO chief says no intelligence to suggest anti-Semitism about to decline

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Intelligence chief Mike Burgess confirmed on Tuesday he had a “conversation” with Home Minister Tony Burke about his car under Coalition questioning about the national security implications of driving a Chinese electric vehicle.

Coalition home affairs spokesman Senator James Paterson has pressed the Government for answers this week on Mr Burke currently drives a Chinese-made electric car and what security countermeasures have been taken given the sensitive nature of his Home Affairs portfolio.

Security experts have increasingly issued warnings about the possible dangers posed by Chinese-made EVs and “connected vehicles” more generally, flagging their potential to act as listening and surveillance devices, as well as record sensitive information including GPS data.

Asked about the issue during senate estimates in the legal and constitutional affairs committee, Mr Burgess confirmed he had advised Mr Burke on mitigations but declined to give specific details.

He said the Minister was “very aware” of the risks of eavesdropping and “knows how to managed it effectively from my point of view.”

Read the full story here.

Australia’s intelligence agency does not believe there is “one foreign mastermind” behind the rise of anti-Semitism that has shocked the nation.

“I’m not expecting one foreign mastermind behind this. We have to consider, and it’s highly likely, and in fact, true, this is homegrown,” ASIO chief Mike Burgess has informed Senators.

“I have seen some speculating that this is all driven offshore by a foreign regime or criminal. I don’t believe that’s the case, given what we have before us,” he said.

“I don’t believe there’s one foreign actor driving all the anti-Semitism in this country, and not all the incidents are connected.”

In terms of threats to life, the anti-Semitism crisis is ASIO’s “number one priority,” said the agency’s chief Mike Burgess.

His comments came in response to a question by home affairs spokesperson Senator James Paterson on how he would assess the increase of anti-Semitism in Australia.

“In terms of threats to life, it’s my agency’s number one priority, because of the weight of incidents we’re seeing play out in this country,” he said.

“When would you have ever said before that a form of racism was the number one concern for ASIO?” asked Mr Paterson.

“Certainly not in my six years as Director General, and that is just because of the volume of incidents or referrals or intelligence, the volume of incidents that we are dealing with,” he said.

ASIO chief Mike Burgess said he has not seen any intelligence to suggest the anti-Semitism crisis is about to decline.

“I’m concerned it’s not yet plateaued. That’s not to say it hasn’t yet plateaued,” he told a Senate estimates committee on Tuesday.

Anti-Semitism was festering in Australia long before the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, he said.

But the security community had now noted “a transition from harassment and intimidation through to physical targeting of communities, places of worship and prominent Jewish Australians.”

He defended the “strong law enforcement response” at a State and Federal level and requested time to “let us do a job. Sometimes these investigations do take time.”

The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation is “well practiced and well placed to respond to emerging threats,” the nation’s top spy Mike Burgess has assured a Senate committee hearing.

“The security environment is becoming more dynamic, diverse and degraded,” he said in an opening statement to the Senate’s legal and constitutional affairs committee’s estimates hearing.

“Our powers are significant. Our capabilities are exceptional. Our resolve is resolute, and our people are brilliant,” he said.

“Security is a shared responsibility, and while your security service has got this, national security truly is everybody’s business.”

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has used the first day of his charm offensive in Washington DC to highlight Australia’s financial contribution to the US economy, as he attempts to gain a carve-out from US tariffs.

Mr Chalmers attended the first day of the Australian Superannuation Investment Summit, held at the embassy, and used the event to speak with private equity tycoon Stephen Schwarzman, founder of US-based asset manager Blackstone, and Citigroup chief executive Jane Fraser. He will also meet with JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon.

“This landmark super summit is all about stronger returns for Australians from stronger economic ties with the Americans,” Mr Chalmers said.

The conversations are taking place ahead of critical meetings with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Donald Trump’s chief economic adviser Kevin Hassett.

In that meeting, Mr Chalmers will try to negotiate a carve-out for Australia from the US administration’s 25 per cent tariff on steel and aluminium, as well as the sweeping “Fair and Reciprocal Plan,” which could impose levies on foreign imports, potentially covering everything from government subsidies to the GST.

Read the full story​ here​.

ABC officials have defended interviewing Sarah Scwartz from the Jewish Council of Australia.

Liberal senator Sarah Henderson put to the ABC the council was a “fringe group” and the public broadcaster had on at least one occasion allowed Ms Schwartz to describe Israel as a “pariah state committing waar crimes” without being challenged by her interviewer.

The ABC said Ms Schwartz had been interviewed five times in the last 12 months, and defended having done so.

“They represent one perspective, and it is a relevent perspective depending on the story,” the official said.

“They also speak about anti-Semitism, which is an important matter.”

The ABC said it recognises proportionality, and the broadcaster interviewed a range of Jewish groups.

Labor says Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has some explaining to do over the timing of shares he purchased back in 2009.

At an impromptu press conference Tuesday morning, Labor Minister Murray Watt said Mr Dutton has “serious questions” to answer over the purchase of shares the day before the Rudd government announced a bank bailout.

Mr Watt was referring to Mr Dutton’s purchases of Westpac, NAB and Commonwealth Bank shares on January 23, 2009, which were declared on his parliamentary register of interests.

At the time, the following day, the Rudd government announced the Australian Business Investment Partnership, a $4 billion stimulus package to help banks during the global financial crisis.

In a statement, the opposition leader’s spokesperson denied Mr Dutton had any sensitive information when he made the purchases, which were promptly declared.

He added the scrutiny came from “the Albanese government’s dirt unit”.

A fiery stoush erupted over the matter at Senate estimates, with Finance Minister Katy Gallagher challenged by Liberal counterparts Jane Hume and James McGrath to repeat her claims outside the protection of parliamentary privilege.

Senator Gallagher was at the table with officials from the Australian Public Service Commission, when questions were raised about how APS workers dealt with sensitive information.

Gallagher asked: “So for example, if a public servant was to know, hypothetically, that the banks were to be bailed out during the GFC, and sought to buy up shares in all those major banks on the eve of that announcement, I imagine there would be serious consequences.

Hume responded: “Want to say that outside of parliamentary privilege, minister?”

McGrath added: “please, please”, as Gallagher said Dutton had “genuine questions to answer.”

McGrath said: “All you’ve got is mud.” “You’re throwing mud at Peter Dutton, that’s all you’ve got.”

Senator Gallagher continued pushing the questions with the ministers often speaking over one another.

“It was just a coincidence, was it?” she said. “That there was a lot of shares purchased the day before a bank bailout?”

Hume called out “grubby”, as McGrath said Gallagher’s comments “defame the leader of the opposition”.

The hearing had to be briefly suspended to restore order.

It has been a firey morning at Senate estimates, with a complaint being made about how a government official was treated.

A witness in the environment and communications committee complained to the Parliamentary Workplace Support Service about how they were treated during Tuesday’s hearings.

Senators were briefed on the matter following the lunch break and returned to find a copy of the support service’s guidelines on their desks.

Committee chair Karen Grogan had to remind all senators “their obligations under the behaviour code for Australian parliamentarians to treat witnesses with dignity, courtesy, fairness and respect”.

“That includes not badgering, haranguing, harassing or raising your voice at witnesses, and not interrupting witnesses who are attempting to answer a question,” she said.

-- With Dominic Giannini, AAP