Karen Andrews (McPherson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Home Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House

(1) notes that:

(a) foreign interference online poses a unique risk to the national security of Australia, particularly on social media platforms;

(b) these platforms have been successfully weaponised by authoritarian states in an attempt to interfere in our democracy; and

(c) under the previous Government, Australia led the world with its foreign interference, espionage and influence reforms of 2018;

(2) acknowledges that:

(a) the cybersecurity measures implemented by the previous Government are now being adopted by likeminded countries around the world; and

(b) cyber-enabled foreign interference is a unique challenge which requires further reforms; and

(3) calls on the Government to continue to monitor and adapt to the ever-changing threats posed by foreign actors in cyberspace.

It's crucial to recognise that foreign actors, including intelligence services, are pursuing opportunities to interfere with and influence Australian society in a number of ways, including through governments at all levels, businesses, academia and a range of other sectors. Diaspora communities and the higher education sector have been identified as particularly vulnerable to attempts by foreign bodies to exert influence. These foreign actors aim to undermine Australia's national security, our democratic system of government and our sovereignty. They can do this through methods which many of us are already familiar when we think of traditional espionage—things like spying—but also through coercive methods in online and emerging technologies, including social media platforms. These activities are contrary to our sovereignty, our values and the national interest. Recently, Mike Burgess, the director of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, or ASIO, declared that espionage and foreign interference is now ASIO's 'principal security concern', and Australians need to be aware of this changing threat environment and what that can look like for them.

My colleague Senator James Paterson has spearheaded the establishment of the Senate Select Committee on Foreign Interference through Social Media to probe concerns into social media applications headquartered in authoritarian countries, which pose a unique risk to the national security of Australia. China's 2017 national security law means businesses registered in China can be compelled to hand over information to assist Chinese intelligence agencies and to keep this cooperation a secret. This is, of course, a huge concern. I note that the Minister for Home Affairs has been considering a security review that is expected to recommend that Australia follow the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand in restricting the social media app, TikTok. I would urge the government to ensure it acts swiftly to formally restrict TikTok on devices of all federal government employees and politicians, instead of the currently inconsistent approach, and swiftly implement the full range of regulatory responses needed to protect the private information of Australians who do use TikTok. It's also important to inform Australians about why such a crucial movement would be necessary so Australians can increase their awareness to potential foreign interference dangers. We do know that foreign interference can extend to the political realm in things like elections, and the coalition has, indeed, raised concerns about the upcoming referendum on the Voice. We want to make sure that the referendum process has integrity at every step.

ASIO recently warned that foreign interference and the spread of disinformation are made easier by social media algorithms, which are often kept secret, allowing platforms to put forward content, allowing for anonymity and providing limited moderation. ASIO warned that social media's weak identity verification could even be weaponised. The members on this side know all too well how important it is to ensure we have strong national security legislation and online safety laws. During our time in government, the coalition made world-leading reforms to combat the risks of foreign interference to protect Australians and businesses, including creating criminal offences for espionage and foreign interference activities; launching guidelines to educate at-risk sectors about the dangers posed by foreign interference, to increase their resilience; passing the Electoral Legislation Amendment (Electoral Funding and Disclosure Reform) Act 2018 to restrict the receipt of donations from foreign donors; and establishing the Counter Foreign Interference Taskforce to further boost our ability to discover, track and disrupt foreign interference in all forms.

This brought together officers from ASIO, AUSTRAC, ASD and the AFP to work toward the common goal of identifying and disrupting malicious activity. The coalition certainly understands the importance of maintaining a strong national security focus, and, as a nation, we must remain vigilant to the threat of foreign interference in its many forms, and we call on the government to monitor and adapt to the ever-changing online threats to our sovereignty and our security.

Alicia Payne (Canberra, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Gavin Pearce (Braddon, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Health, Aged Care and Indigenous Health Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'll second the motion and reserve my right to speak.

Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The other side offered me the opportunity to second the motion, but I don't agree with the whole motion, and I'll explain that shortly. It's a bit hard to swallow from a mob that sold our northern port to a Chinese company linked to the CCP and got rid of the cyber minister. But the essence of what I want to say is that it has got to be, importantly, bipartisan. Foreign interference, whether it be cyber intrusions, old-fashioned espionage or hybrid tactics like foreign governments putting pressure on Australian communities, is an escalating threat. Recently we've seen reports of Iranian Australians, among other communities, being bullied by the Iranian regime. The government is deeply concerned by reports of families and protesters being harassed and intimidated. The right to peaceful protest is at the heart of Australia's democracy, and we've relayed our concerns about foreign interference directly to the Iranian regime in no uncertain terms with a bit of good old-fashioned straight talking. The Minister for Home Affairs has called out Iran and provided details of instances of foreign interference in Australia by the Iranian regime, and it's clear from talking to some of our newer members—first-termers—from both sides of the parliament, that there are real and present concerns that some of them hold about foreign interference.

The minister also met with members of the Iranian community on 15 February, alongside the Attorney-General and Minister Giles, to discuss foreign interference and action the Australian government was taking to combat it. The multiagency Counter Foreign Interference Taskforce leads the operational response to the espionage and foreign interference threat and works to identify, investigate and disrupt attempts and acts of foreign interference. The Australian government's message to anyone involved in such activities is this: our foreign interference laws are unequivocal, our sovereignty is sacrosanct, and you will fail. Our message to the Iranian community in Australia is this: you have a right to protest, you have a right to your vote if you're a citizen of this country, and we stand with you. We will defend our democracy and people's right to protest and express their views within Australia. If you have experienced intimidation or interference, you can report this to the National Security Hotline, to the Australian Federal Police or to your local state or territory police.

We face similarly growing threats from cyber actors, be they state backed criminals or other actors. In September and October last year, Australia experienced the two worst cyberattacks in our history within three weeks of each other. The Optus and Medibank cyberattacks were terrible events that affected millions of Australians. Then the National Australia Bank told Australians that they were subject to 50 million attempted cyberattacks a month. And the ATO is subject to three million cyberattacks a month. This threat is huge, it's relentless and it's getting bigger. Our government has committed and is resolved to fix this, but it's going to take time. Better cybersecurity for Australia means all businesses and citizens changing how they engage with the internet. We need to prepare for more major cyberattacks over the coming years as we undertake this important work. I just want to give a shout-out to all those Australian cyberwarriors out there—it doesn't matter what type of uniform or civilian clothing they're wearing—for the work that they are doing right now to defend our nation, our government and our private sector from these attacks.

Those opposite like to boast, as in this motion, that they were the best in the world on cybersecurity, but the truth is, deep down, in places they don't talk about at parties, they left our nation vulnerable. We did not do the work nationally, over the last decade, to help us prepare for the challenge we now face. Prime Minister Morrison's decision to abolish the cybersecurity ministry when he came to office was an absolute shocker.

In the very brief time remaining to me, I will talk about what has been done since the Albanese Labor government was elected. For the first time, Australia will punch back at the hackers through a collaboration between the Australian Federal Police and the ASD. It's one of many, many measures that we have taken since coming to government. We will not accept foreign interference by anyone.

Gavin Pearce (Braddon, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Health, Aged Care and Indigenous Health Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today in support of this very important motion brought forward by my good friend and parliamentary colleague the member for McPherson. She understands more than most, from her time as the Minister for Home Affairs, the grave concerns that this country faces. Like the former minister, I have experience in the importance of maintaining the security of our cyber and intelligence networks, albeit from a tactical signals intelligence and electronic warfare perspective. As the threat imposed increases exponentially, the need for strong, effective protections must remain and increase proportionately, or commensurate to the threat. The threat we face as a nation in terms of cybersecurity, espionage and the spread of misinformation is unparalleled. As a government, we understood this threat. It was the coalition that led the world in funding, legislating and implementing cybersecurity reforms. These reforms have now been adopted globally. It is imperative that the current government continue this legacy as the risks posed to our nation continue to evolve and have become more insidious.

The threat to Australia's sovereignty by state based operatives within our region has been publicised widely, while the steady encroachment of foreign entities into social media applications has not received the attention that it deserves. Millions of Australians have downloaded programs onto their devices. Some of these Australians are our most vulnerable—our younger people, our children. Apps such as TikTok and WeChat are, quite rightly, under increasing scrutiny by cybersecurity agencies. It's pleasing that the government has banned TikTok from government devices—a policy long championed by the coalition—but more needs to be done in this area.

Internet 2.0, an Australian and US joint cybersecurity organisation based here in Canberra, has produced a white paper looking into WeChat, which currently has in excess of 690,000 Australian users. Internet 2.0 found that data, including geographical location, login and device information, will be sent automatically to servers based in Hong Kong. As the former minister pointed out earlier, since 2017, national security laws in China have compelled businesses registered in Hong Kong to hand this data to intelligence agencies, effectively removing any sense of corporate independence. This, coupled with the fact that government procurement records show that at least 10 contracts were given to the Chinese department of propaganda to influence users, is concerning to say the least. It is for these reasons that it is absolutely essential that the government move to ban WeChat on government devices as a matter of priority.

Cyberattacks aren't just restricted to social media users; increasingly, Australian businesses have been subject to cyberattacks. The cyberattacks on large companies such as Optus, Medicare and the like have been well publicised, but attacks of this nature are occurring frequently across all business sectors and are increasingly more damaging and dangerous. The Australian Cyber Security Centre estimates that there has been a 13 per cent increase in cyberattacks to date. That increases by one cyberattack occurring every seven minutes. The financial burden that this is placing on our small and medium sized businesses is significant. Protecting Australian business is something that the coalition took very seriously during our time in government, investing a record $1.67 billion over 10 years to help secure Australian businesses.

The Albanese government has been entrusted with the most important responsibility of any government, and that is the safety of all Australian people and institutions. In an increasingly turbulent and unstable region, it is absolutely imperative that this government continues to build on and expand the legacy started by the coalition in securing our cyber and intelligence networks.

Gordon Reid (Robertson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is such a vital topic to be discussing in our parliament today. I look around and I see freely elected members of all political persuasions, Liberal, Labor and Independent, and it's because we have one of the healthiest and most successful democracies in the world. Our democracy is one that respects human rights. It respects fundamental freedoms, especially and including freedom of speech.

Our government is most certainly aware that some foreign governments try to influence our democracy, our society and our communities, from Sydney to Perth, to Darwin and to South Australia, through corrosive and harmful narratives. This is evident overseas, particularly on social media, where foreign governments try to sow division around issues that are felt deeply by the Australian public. This type of interference is deliberate, and it deteriorates our social fabric. It is coercive, corrupting, deceptive and clandestine. It causes conflict, and it causes painful rifts throughout our community. It is relentless and it is insidious. It affects individuals, families and communities, and within that it affects community leaders and politicians—you name it. It fundamentally undermines our democratic process.

The Albanese government is working tirelessly to identify, investigate and disrupt these threats and acts of foreign interference, including on social media, to ensure that Australia's resilience and defence is strengthened to this ongoing threat. Our government has valued and continues to value integrity, openness and transparency. Openness isn't always possible in a national security setting, but in some areas knowledge conquers fear, and knowledge is definitely what keeps us safe. The nation's future—Australia's future—will depend on how free and how fair our democracy is and on how much Australians trust and then engage with it. The stronger our democracy and the more choices we have about how we engage with the world, the stronger we will be as an Australian family.

The threat of foreign interference is ever-present, it is relentless, it is insidious and it not only affects individuals but, like I said before, fundamentally undermines the principles of our democracy. Our best defence against foreign interference is to arm and prepare the people who are the possible targets of this behaviour with the information that they need to not only recognise but report the foreign interference, because these are corrupting and deceptive acts. We must therefore change the nature and the tone of the foreign interference discussion. It's time to bring foreign interference out of the shadows, as the minister has said, and expose it for the despicable act that it is. What makes foreign interference problematic and what makes it illegal is the deceptive nature of it and the covertness of it. It's state actors. It's foreign governments that are trying to influence the discourse of our democracy and coerce people who live in Australia—who live within our communities—to behave in ways that may undermine the fabric of what we call home for the benefit of a foreign power. I've got to say: that's not on.

Foreign interference is not a hypothetical. It is real and it is ever-present. It's not merely something that only lies in the future; it's happening now. It's happening today. I want to thank Minister O'Neil and our other colleagues throughout the intelligence community who wear and don't wear uniform, as the member for Solomon said, for the tireless work that they do in this space to defend our national interests both here and abroad. As a government, we will call out the egregious acts of individual countries when it is in the national interest to do so.

Nola Marino (Forrest, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Firstly, can I commend the shadow minister for this motion. It is one that is for those of us who are desperately and constantly concerned about national security and foreign interference. I also commend the shadow minister for her work in Home Affairs prior to the change of government. The then minister was very focused on these issues. I commend her for her efforts, and I think we see a continuation of that today with the motion that's before the House.

Online foreign interference is constantly evolving. Having done so much in the cybersafety space, I've seen a lot of it, and it poses a unique and very real risk to Australia—to our democracy, to our citizens, to our businesses and to our way of life. I believe it poses a similar threat to all Western democracies, and I think much of the world has followed Australia's lead in what we've done in this online space on foreign interference, Shadow Minister, so I think you can comfortably take that but work even harder, as I'm sure you are already doing. I know that ASIO Director-General of Security Mike Burgess recently declared that Australia, on the back of this work, 'cannot be complacent' and that espionage is a 'real and present danger' that demands that we take our national security and this security seriously.

We know that foreign actors, including foreign intelligence services, have been and are aggressively pursuing opportunities to interfere with and influence Australian decision-makers at all levels of government and across a range of sectors. These activities are very clever and very careful, and they can undermine Australia's national security. They can undermine our open, democratic system of government and, ultimately, our sovereignty as a nation. The same foreign actors are targeting the Australian people, seeking to change how and what they think. Combined with that is the role of social media—

A divis ion having been called in the House of Representatives—

Sitting suspended from 13 : 19 to 13 : 30

Alicia Payne (Canberra, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is interrupted, and the resumption of the debate may be made an order of the day for the next sitting.

Sitting suspended from 13 : 30 to 15 : 59