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The Prime Minister says he has “every faith in our national security agencies like I have every faith in our Australian Defence Force” and that Russia should “back off”.
The Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, has responded to questions regarding the vetting and recruitment processes of the Australian Defence Force following allegations that an army private and her husband were planning to share “Defence secrets” with Russian authorities.
Prime Minister Albanese fielded the questions while announcing the Labor Party’s federal candidate for the seat of Brisbane on Saturday, 13 July.
When the press conference was opened to questions from the media, the Prime Minister was asked if the ADF’s recruitment process was “too relaxed”.
“No, they’re certainly not, and I assume you’re referring to the issue that became clear yesterday,” Albanese said.
“That proves, from my perspective, that the authorities are doing their job. And I have every faith in our national security agencies like I have every faith in our Australian Defence Force.”
The Prime Minister also fielded questions regarding the impact of the spying allegations on the AUKUS agreement and concerns Australia’s Five Eyes partners may have.
“I think our allies that we work very closely with, particularly our Five Eyes partners, will take comfort in the fact that we have caught these people. They’ve been rounded up here in Brisbane, and they will be charged as appropriate,” Albanese said.
“Our Five Eyes partners are very confident, and we work very closely with them. Our intelligence agencies do a fantastic job, and they ensure that they keep us safe from the various threats which are there. This is a reminder of the need for vigilance and a reminder of the need to provide that support.”
Albanese went on to say that the ADF’s vetting process was constantly being improved.
“Defence are constantly monitoring their methods and constantly making improvements. The threats to us are nimble,” Albanese said. “They’re constantly trying to find ways to engage and to damage our national interest, and that’s why our agencies ensure that they are constantly monitoring their performance, constantly monitoring what they do, constantly adjusting to these new threats to ensure that we’re kept safe.”
The Prime Minister also said, when asked about the response from Moscow, that “Russia can get the message, back off”.
“Russia engages in espionage here and around the world. Russia has no credibility,” Albanese said.
“And the message to Russia is, how about you get out of Ukraine and stop the illegal and immoral war that you’re engaged in? And how about you try to stop interfering in domestic affairs of other sovereign nations? This is a country that has no respect for international law, and they should be regarded with contempt, which is what I have for them.”
A 40-year-old army private, Kira Korolev, of the ADF and her 62-year-old husband, Igor Korolev, a labourer, were each charged with one count of preparing for an espionage offence following their arrest by the Australian Federal Police on 12 July.
The pair appeared before a Brisbane Magistrates Court on the same day. They remain in custody and have not applied for bail.
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.
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