Politics With Michelle Grattan: John Blaxland On Spies, AUKUS, And An Unsettled Washington

(MENAFN- The Conversation) Last week, ASIO boss Mike Burgess gave his annual assessment of threats to Australia's domestic security. In his speech, Burgess sensationally revealed that a former politician had“sold out their country” to a foreign regime.

Burgess's refusal to name the person, citing the need to protect ASIO's tradecraft, invited speculation and debate. Nor would he specify the country, but a subsequent report said it was China.

In this podcast, we're joined by Professor John Blaxland, Professor of International Security & Intelligence Studies at the Australian National University. He was a co-author of the multi-volume history of ASIO; recently, he co-authored Revealing Secrets: An Unofficial History of Australian Signals Intelligence & the Advent of Cyber. Blaxland is currently the Director of the ANU's North America Liaison Office.

On the issue of Burgess staying mum about the former politician's identity, Blaxland says there is good reason for keeping it secret.

On AUKUS, under criticism from some experts who argue the agreement won't necessarily protect Australia because the Americans might step back from the region and its allies, Blaxland says:

He's very critical of Paul Keating, who this week attacked Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Canberra's national security establishment.

Based in Washington DC, Blaxland describes the atmosphere as the 2024 presidential election kicks into gear:

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