Albanese government’s big backflip over decision on spy chief Mike Burgess – as fears about foreign interference ramp up

According to reports, the Albanian government has reversed its decision to exclude spy chief Mike Burgess from the highest level of the National Security Committee.

Mr Burgess, the spy agency’s director-general, has been reinstated on a permanent basis to the committee that assesses “the highest priority, greatest risk and most strategic national security issues of the day”, according to the committee’s website.

It was previously believed that Mr Burgess and ASIS leader Kerri Hartland would only be called up on an individual basis, after the powerful Prime Minister and Cabinet Secretary Glyn Davis revoked their permanent status.

However, an escalation of espionage and terrorist threats has at least ensured that Mr Burgess has been automatically reinstated to the body.

A Freedom of Information request by Sky News revealed that Mr Burgess and Ms Hartland had been at the outpost since January last year.

The FOI reveals that Attorney General Mark Dreyfus wrote to Mr Burgess on 9 January 2023 thanking him for his contribution.

“On behalf of the Prime Minister, I would like to thank you for your contributions to this committee in 2022,” he wrote.

‘I look forward to your contribution through co-optation on relevant issues in this committee as they arise in the future.’

Shadow Home Secretary James Paterson told Sky News that the Albanian government had quietly admitted it had made a mistake and he demanded an apology from the Prime Minister.

“The Albanian government should never have removed one of our intelligence chiefs from the National Security Committee,” he said.

‘It is gratifying that they have finally come to their senses, although only after their recklessness was publicly exposed.

“Our national security has been damaged by this event and the Prime Minister must take responsibility, explain publicly why he changed his mind and apologise.”

Earlier this month, two Russian-born Australians, Kira Korolev, 40, and her husband Igor, 62, were arrested over an alleged espionage plot targeting the Department of Defence.

In May, officials threw a tantrum after admitting that hundreds of Chinese security cameras had been found at various defence sites in Australia, while the department claimed there was only one.

Defense officials told a Senate hearing they had discovered 435 “concerning” spy devices.

Secretary to the Prime Minister’s Office and Cabinet Office Professor Glyn Davis (pictured left) is said to have made the previous call for Mr Burgess to be called only on a case-by-case basis.

A Liberal senator has called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to apologize for the original decision

These devices were produced by Chinese companies Hikvision and Dahua, both of which are partially owned by the Chinese government.

Officials said they were in the process of removing all surveillance equipment from the affected sites.

In February, Mr Burgess made the sensational claim that a former politician had “sold” his country to China, but he would not name the accused.

He also warned that at least one nation state is preparing for possible sabotage of key Australian infrastructure in the future.