Australia promises 'unprecedented funding' for its spy agency

Australia’s Home Minister Peter Dutton promised ‘unprecedented funding’, on October 17, for its main spy agency after the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), in its annual report, hinted at lack of resources. “It’s getting unprecedented funding and we’ll continue to support,” said Dutton. “We have more demands on our intelligence services and law enforcement agencies than ever before”, he added.

Highest ever budget allocation

Although the agency said that its operating and capital budget for 2019-2020 is capped at $555.2 million, it has been the highest ever, it acknowledged that the “circumstances are stretching current resources”. Kristina Keneally, the opposition spokeswoman on the Home Affairs Department portfolio, calling the agency as incredibly important, said it was an alarm bell for the government.

“It’s an incredibly important agency in our national security framework and for them to be reporting in this time when the challenges they face are quite complex, that they are stretched for resources, well that’s an alarm bell,” said Keneally.

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'Terrorist threat remains unacceptably high'

ASIO, in its report, said the security environment of the country is ‘complex’ and ‘marked by uncertainty’. “The terrorist threat remains unacceptably high, while the threat of espionage and foreign interference is on the increase. These circumstances are stretching current resources,” the report read.

“We prioritise our finite resources across our primary work programs - counter-terrorism, counter-espionage and foreign interference, border integrity and protective security advice -to address activities posing the greatest potential harm to Australians and Australian interests,” it further added.

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CLOUD act to boost law enforcement cooperation

Earlier in October, Peter Dutton met U.S. Attorney General William Barr and, in a joint statement, said that they have entered into formal negotiations for a bilateral agreement to boost law enforcement cooperation. The formal negotiations started when the law-enforcement agencies of the two countries were looking into the alleged overstepping of U.S. officials in the investigation of Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. They said the bilateral agreement under U.S. Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data Act (CLOUD Act) will bolster strong protections for rule of law, privacy and civil liberties.

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(With AP Inputs)