Australian Security Intelligence Organisation
Australian domestic intelligence agency
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July 2024 | ASIO was reported to be moving back to its original organizational setting within the Attorney-General's Department, with the Department of Home Affairs retaining national security policy responsibilities. |
2023 | Ian George Peacock was identified as the KGB mole who infiltrated ASIO, with the code name 'Mira'. |
2020 | Peter Dutton, then Minister for Home Affairs, introduced the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Amendment Bill 2020, expanding ASIO's questioning powers to cover espionage, foreign interference, and political violence. The bill reduced the age for compulsory questioning of minors to 14 and allowed ASIO to authorize tracking devices without warrants. |
September 16 2019 | Mike Burgess assumes office as the Director-General of Security. |
July 2018 | Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced the creation of the Department of Home Affairs, which included transferring ASIO from the Attorney-General's Department to the new ministry, impacting the agency's organizational structure. |
October 2016 | ASIO officially acknowledged that it had been infiltrated by a mole. |
2013 | ASIO's staff grew to approximately 1,740 employees, with challenges noted in attracting diverse personnel from Muslim or Middle Eastern backgrounds. |
2013 | ASIO's staff size reached approximately 1,740 employees. |
July 23 2013 | Official opening of the new $630 million ASIO Central Office (Ben Chifley Building) by then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in Canberra, named after Ben Chifley, the prime minister at the time of ASIO's creation. |
May 2013 | ABC News reported that China had stolen blueprints to the ASIO headquarters, revealing a significant security breach. |
2012 | Nicola Roxon, as Attorney-General of Australia, blocked Chinese state-owned company Huawei from seeking a supply contract for the National Broadband Network, following ASIO's advice due to fears of potential Chinese cyber espionage. |
2012 | ASIO reported to be monitoring Australian anti-coal activists, with increased surveillance efforts focused on protests against the Hazelwood power station in Victoria. This monitoring was justified by a security source as protecting critical infrastructure, while Green Party leader Bob Brown criticized it as a 'political weapon'. |
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