Lewis told a Lowy Institute Forum late last week that he sees the three biggest challenges for Australia's security as foreign interference and espionage, extremist terrorism, and cyber security, and identified the former as the nation's biggest threat.
“It’s my view that currently, the issue of espionage and foreign interference is by far and away the most serious issue going forward,” the retiring director general said.
“Terrorism has never been an existential threat to established states – for weaker states, yes, but for a place like Australia terrorism is not an existential threat to the state. It is a terrible risk that our populations run and it is a very serious matter which must be addressed every day: the counter-espionage and foreign interference issue, however, is something which is ultimately an existential threat to the state.”
Foreign interference is a global issue that has reared its ugly head in the Western world in recent times, and was specifically identified as an area of concern in the federal government's 2017 Foreign Policy White Paper.
"The government is concerned about growing attempts by foreign governments or their proxies to exert inappropriate influence on and to undermine Australia’s sovereign institutions and decision-making," the White Paper said.
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"Such attempts at foreign interference are part of a wider global trend that has affected other democracies. Foreign interference aims to shape the actions of decision-makers and public opinion to achieve an outcome favourable to foreign interests."
Earlier this year, Federal Parliament's computer network was the subject of a significant cyber breach, with politicians forced to change their passwords as a result of the attack.
"ASD and its Australian Cyber Security Centre will continue to work with DPS to understand the full extent o ..
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