Australia announces counter foreign interference initiative

The Australian government has announced a new counter foreign interference initiative to better secure the nation against foreign cyber threats.

Home Affairs announced yesterday (14 January) the launch of Countering Foreign Interference in Australia: Working Together Towards a More Secure Australia, a new initiative that will identify those vulnerable to foreign interference, sets out what the government is doing to deal with it and provides education for organisations to assist them in protecting themselves.

“Threats to our way of life represent Australia’s principal security concern. Based on what the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation is identifying, investigating, assessing and disrupting, more Australians are being targeted for espionage and foreign interference than ever before,” Director-General of Security Mike Burgess previously said.

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The government has outlined a number of ways it has worked to counter foreign interference. Nathan Smyth was appointed national counter foreign interference coordinator (NCFIC) and is responsible for working with both the government and the private sector to make the nation more resilient and prepared against foreign interference.

Additionally, the Counter Foreign Interference Coordination Centre (CFICC) works with the NCFIC for the implementation of the Counter Foreign Interference Strategy, as well as supporting at-risk sectors.

“The NCFIC and CFICC engage regularly with like-minded countries and regional partners to forge greater levels of global resilience to foreign interference,” Home Affairs said.

Furthermore, led by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), the Counter Foreign Interference Taskforce leads tactical and operational responses to cases of foreign espionage and interference, identifying them, investigating them, disrupting them and prosecuting those responsible.

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Daniel Croft

Born in the heart of Western Sydney, Daniel Croft is a passionate journalist with an understanding for and experience writing in the technology space. Having studied at Macquarie University, he joined Momentum Media in 2022, writing across a number of publications including Australian Aviation, Cyber Security Connect and Defence Connect. Outside of writing, Daniel has a keen interest in music, and spends his time playing in bands around Sydney.

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Australia announces counter foreign interference initiative

Daniel Croft

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