Intelligence Committee Deputy Warns That Labor Missteps Put Nation’s Security and Sovereignty at Risk

Shocking media reports have surfaced that the Albanese Government have excluded Australia's most senior intelligence officers from the National Security Committee (NSC), at a time when conflict, extremism, and foreign interference put our security and sovereignty at risk.

It is an astonishing development in what has become a pattern of missteps and mistakes by this Labor Government in their handling of Australia’s national security.

Under the Coalition, the Director-General of Security (ASIO) and the Director-General of Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS), Australia's domestic and foreign intelligence agencies both served as permanent members of the NSC, alongside senior ministers and public servants.

Under Labor’s reported changes, ASIO and ASIS will be invited to provide advice on a case-by-case basis, while senior bureaucrats and cabinet ministers will retain their permanent positions.

The idea that the country’s most important decision-making body on matters of national security would exclude those most senior officers directly responsible for ensuring that security, isn’t just fundamentally wrong as a matter of principle - it’s utterly reckless.

Yet, it’s not the first time that we’ve seen Labor make a reckless decision - or grievous indecision - when it comes to Australia’s security.

Under National Security Legislation amendments last year, Labor were willing to swing open the doors of Parliament’s powerful intelligence and security committee to members of the crossbench and the radical Greens. Now the NSC is essentially closed to the leaders of our most important security agencies.

When asked about the changes, the Government reportedly replied, “we don’t comment on matters relating to national security.” What has become patently clear is that when the times comes, the Government won’t act on matters in relation to national security either.

Australia’s security and defence sector are already crippled by crises, and beleaguered by ministers simply not up to the job.

Australian Defence Force (ADF) Chiefs and Senior bureaucrats are at odds with a part-time Defence Minister, who through his indecision, incompetence, and indifference is crushing Australia's sovereign capability.

ADF recruitment has declined, the space sector is in freefall, and private investment will dry up if the Government doesn’t step up.

At the same time, Australia's embattled Immigration Minister is jumping from crisis to crisis, as the number of illegal boat arrivals accelerates, and tranches of released detainees commit offences in flagrant breach of their VISA conditions.

The Albanese Labor Government has been slow to the punch on cybersecurity and ransomware.

They refuse to act on the most basic measures to counter child sexual exploitation.

Security vetting has stalled, defence industry is at a standstill, and our sovereign space capability is diminishing day by day.

They have dropped the ball on our allies in Israel and Ukraine.

And they are willing to turn a blind eye to the most repugnant human rights abuses in China for crass trade incentives.

From Home Affairs and Immigration to Foreign Policy and Defence, this Government is a sinking ship, weighed down by a catalogue of crises and a litany of lies.

They are out of touch with the reality our country finds itself in. Their priorities are entirely out of order. And they are hopelessly out of their depth.

Australians just can’t trust this Government to keep them safe.