Most Australians already know something is wrong with our information environment. An Australian National University survey of 20,000 average Australians found disinformation consistently ranked among top national security concerns. Participants rated it as more serious …
Iran has suffered greatly from US bombing, but it has been outmanoeuvring the superpower in the information domain. Each of the two countries is using internet culture against the other during hostilities that began on …
The technology meant to enforce Australia’s under‑16 social media ban has stumbled. What began as a watershed moment for online safety—protecting young Australians online—risks becoming a cautionary tale of haphazard technology deployment and a generation …
The decision by the Australian Secret Intelligence Service to feature its director-general and operational officers on the Seize the Yay podcast marks a deliberate shift towards public transparency, an unprecedented move for Australia’s most secretive …
The 2024 Independent Intelligence Review offers a mature and sophisticated understanding of workforce challenges facing Australia’s National Intelligence Community (NIC). It provides a thoughtful roadmap for modernising that workforce and enhancing cross-agency and cross-sector collaboration. …
The Australian government’s regulatory approach to tackling disinformation misses the mark by focusing on content moderation and controlling access to platforms. This focus on symptoms is like fighting a flood by mopping the floor: it …
Australia urgently needs an integrated approach to fighting disinformation, especially that involving foreign actors. Relying on isolated regulatory measures, siloed capabilities, and disparate working groups isn’t good enough. Australia could look to international models in …
In a bid to help Pacific island states become more resilient to cyber attacks such as the one Vanuatu suffered in 2022, Australia outlined a vision to become the partner of choice for cyber security …
An historic appointment was made late last year, of Heather Cook as CEO of the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission and director of the Australian Institute of Criminology. To little fanfare or media coverage, Cook started …
The 2024 independent intelligence review’s terms of reference affirm that recruitment is a challenge for Australia’s national intelligence agencies. The review’s remit includes evaluating whether agencies’ workforce decisions reflect a sufficiently strategic response to current …
Fallopia japonica, better known as Japanese Knotweed, is a highly invasive plant that forms dense thickets, outcompeting native vegetation. Present day disinformation is a lot like Japanese Knotweed. It takes just one post (or plant) …
Australia relies on the professional workforce of its national intelligence agencies to collect, assess and disseminate the intelligence critical to Australia’s interests. They need the right professionals—and enough of them—to run the intelligence effort effectively. …
