Calls to name former politician who ‘sold out’ Australia to foreign spies
The hunt is on to reveal the ex-politician who “sold out” Australia to an international spy ring, with former treasurer Joe Hockey saying it puts all past MPs under suspicion and is creating distrust among the nation’s allies.
Mr Hockey has demanded that ASIO boss Mike Burgess name the “traitor” after making the extraordinary claim that an unnamed Australian politician had turned into a spy.
“It’s a statement of fact that a politician served the interests of a foreign nation against the interest of Australia, and Mr Burgess has to now name that politician, otherwise everyone who has ever served in politics is impugned,” Mr Hockey told 2GB radio on Thursday.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“It’s as simple as that. You can’t make an allegation or a statement about someone being a traitor and then expect that no one will ask questions.”
Speculation is rife about the identity of the former MP with Shadow Cyber Security Minister James Paterson saying he has “a fair idea” but does not want to publicly hypothesize.
When it was put to Opposition Leader Peter Dutton by a radio host that it was a former Labor MP from NSW with links to China, he replied: “That would be where I would put my money”.
Mr Hockey, a former US ambassador who now lives and works in Washington DC, said he was being asked about the revelations in America and argued “it affects my reputation, it affects the reputation of my country, it affects all Australians”.
He said the group — which ASIO has dubbed the “A-team” — had its cover blown with Australia’s national security agency knowing so much about the team’s operations and identities.
The country’s top spy said the group managed to recruit the politician who “sold out their country, party and former colleagues to advance the interests of the foreign regime”.
The former politician also attempted to introduce a prime minister’s family member to the spies but the plot did not go ahead.
This occurred before the espionage and foreign interference legislation was introduced in 2018, meaning it was not an offence at the time.
Mr Burgess said the unnamed person was not active anymore and had been “neutralised“.
“They’re not doing it now, they’re not breaking the law,” Mr Burgess said.
“If we see them go active again, I can guarantee they’ll get caught.”
Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s son Alex has reportedly revealed he was targeted by suspected Chinese agents over an infrastructure project in 2017 but immediately rejected any involvement and reported it to spy agencies.
Mr Turbull said he was offered equity in a company at the time he father was prime minister, news.com.au is reporting.
Defence Minister Richard Marles said speculation about who was the former politician was not helpful and backed the decision by ASIO to make the information public.
“I respect what ASIO have done here in terms of putting this story into the public domain but also maintaining the confidentiality of the facts around this, and there could be a whole lot of reasons why that should happen,” Mr Marles said.
“We have amongst the best agencies in the world protecting Australians and Australians should have a sense of confidence about that. This is what ASIO is doing in respect of handling this particular case.”
Mr Dutton said the person should be “outed and shamed” as there would continue to be “a cloud hanging above everybody else”.
“If you’re putting the detail out there as (Mr Burgess) has done, it is incumbent on him to give a little bit more detail, a little bit more of a hint on who it might be because I think it’s a little bit unfair on a lot of former MPs who are patriotic,” Mr Dutton said told 2GB radio on Thursday.
“In this circumstance, it’s pretty rough to essentially besmirch former politicians when he’s talking about one.”
Senator Paterson said it was “a regret” that the former MP was not punished for selling out Australia.
“I think it would be very powerful and important if someone has betrayed their country, particularly someone who has the honour of representing their country in the parliament, that they face legal consequences and very serious ones for that,” Senator Paterson said.
“But the reality is the laws weren’t there when this conduct occurred. That makes it very difficult for good reason. We tend not to do retrospective legislation in this country, and I understand why.”
