Espionage costs Australia $8B a year, says spy chief

ANKARA

The Australian spy chief revealed on Thursday that espionage cost the country AUD 12.5 billion (about $8 billion) in the fiscal year 2023-24.

Speaking at an event in Adelaide, Mike Burgess, director-general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), said foreign cyber spies stole nearly AUD $2 billion (approximately $1.2 billion) in trade secrets and intellectual property from Australian companies and businesses between 2023 and 2024.

"Espionage cost the Australian economy twelve and a half billion dollars in 2023–2024. This includes the direct costs of known espionage incidents, such as the state-sponsored theft of intellectual property, as well as the indirect costs of countering and responding," he said, according to a transcript published on the ASIO website.

The latest numbers, according to him, come from a report by the Australian Institute of Criminology, produced in partnership with ASIO.

"Espionage takes away sovereign Australian choices and options. It corrodes our decision-making. It damages our economy," he added.

Countries named in the report include Russia, China, Iran, and a number of unnamed states.

Moscow remains a persistent threat, with undeclared intelligence officers from Russia removed in 2022 and two Russian-born Australians charged with espionage last year, he revealed.

According to Burgess, espionage affects sectors across the board, from critical infrastructure to defense industries and universities.

He claimed that foreign intelligence services are taking a very "unhealthy" interest in AUKUS and its associated capabilities.

"And with AUKUS, we are not just defending our sovereign capability. We are also defending critical capability shared by and with our partners," he said.

He warned that currently, three people are before the courts on espionage-related charges, and there could be more if anyone tries to compromise AUKUS.

In September 2021, the US, the UK, and Australia signed the AUKUS pact, under which Canberra would receive nuclear-powered submarines for the Royal Australian Navy.

US President Donald Trump initiated a review of the AUD $368 billion (about $247 billion) AUKUS pact in June to assess whether it aligns with his “America First” policy priorities.

However, last week, Australia announced that it has signed a long-term treaty with the UK to strengthen collaboration under the AUKUS nuclear submarine partnership, setting the framework for 50 years of cooperation.