Daily Bulletin

Men's Weekly

.

  • Written by Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
The Conversation

The new director of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) will be Mike Burgess, who moves from heading the Australian Signals Directorate.

Burgess has a solid history in the intelligence area and Labor has welcomed the choice.

Announcing the appointment, Scott Morrison and Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said that in his ASD job, Burgess has been leading work “across the spectrum of operations required of a contemporary signals intelligence and security agency, including foreign intelligence, cyber security and offensive operations in support of the Australian government and Australian Defence Forces”.

Burgess earlier was on the government’s naval shipbuilding advisory board, and was deputy director for cyber and information security at the Defence Signals Directorate (DSD). He also worked as chief information security officer at Telstra.

Read more: Media chiefs unite on press freedom, but will it result in any action?

Recently he was involved in the controversy over a News Corp report by Annika Smethurst of top level bureaucratic correspondence about a plan to expand ASD’s remit. Burgess and two departmental heads issued a rare public statement disputing the report. Later Smethurst’s home was raided by the Australian Federal Police.

As head of ASD, Burgess has brought the organisation “out from the shadows”, as he puts it, talking publicly about its role, which is as both a foreign intelligence and a cyber security agency.

He said in a speech earlier this year, “transparency informs, helping dispel myths and most importantly helps with our value proposition to prospective employees”, admitting he was using transparency to attract recruits.

He has also spoken publicly about the exclusion of Huawei from the 5G mobile communications network, saying “my advice was to exclude high-risk vendors from the entirety of evolving 5G networks”. He has attacked critics of the encryption laws passed late last year.

Read more: Why we should be wary of expanding powers of the Australian Signals Directorate

A public profile has become more important as part of the ASIO job in recent years.

Burgess replaces Duncan Lewis, who recently announced he was stepping down.

ASIO, an independent authority, comes under the Home Affairs portfolio, where it was moved by the Coalition government. Previously it was under the Attorney-General, who is still required to sign off on some operations.

Authors: Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

Read more http://theconversation.com/new-asio-head-mike-burgess-is-moving-from-one-security-agency-to-another-121626

Business News

The ultimate checklist for launching a digital-first business

If you’re launching a business in 2025, chances are it’s going to be digital-first. Whether you’re running an online store, offering consulting services, or building something entirely new, they all h...

Daily Bulletin - avatar Daily Bulletin

“SMBs Are Building the Future While Australia Sleeps” — Marc Degli on AI, Innovation, and What Needs to Change

Australia’s startup scene has been called “emerging” for a decade — but for many founders, it still feels stalled. Government funding is mired in bureaucracy. Investors hedge their bets on “safe” deal...

Daily Bulletin - avatar Daily Bulletin

Hydrogen Pipe Infrastructure: A Guide to Future Networks

As Australia moves towards a cleaner energy future, hydrogen is emerging as a key player. But how do we get this promising energy source from production facilities to where it's needed? The answer l...

Daily Bulletin - avatar Daily Bulletin

LayBy Deals