The Australian government has affirmed its close relationship with India despite reports of two Indian spies being expelled from the country in 2020. In 2021, Australia’s intelligence chief stated that foreign agents operated locally in the previous year without disclosing their nationality. However, numerous news sources reported this week that the spies were from India. Australia has neither confirmed nor denied these reports but is keen to counter foreign interference.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers stated that they have an important economic relationship with India, and it has become closer in recent years as a result of efforts on both sides. In 2020, a “nest of spies” developed “targeted relationships with current and former politicians, a foreign embassy and a state police service,” said the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) chief, Mike Burgess, in a speech three years ago. The spies had monitored their country’s diaspora community, asked a public servant about “security protocols at a major airport,” and “tried to obtain classified information about Australia’s trade relationships.” Burgess also said the spies had recruited an Australian government security clearance holder with knowledge of sensitive defence technology, but ASIO disrupted their operation.
The Washington Post reported on Monday that two Indian operatives were expelled from Australia during the counter-intelligence operation in 2020. The ABC later reported that a group of Indian agents had targeted classified information on Australian trade, security, and defence projects. An ASIO spokesperson told the BBC that the agency would not comment “on intelligence matters,” while the Indian High Commission in Canberra did not respond to a request for comment.
In recent years, Australia and India have sought to deepen their ties via a series of agreements targeting trade, energy, and migration. Both countries are members of the strategic Quad alliance, along with the US and Japan, with the stated aim of strengthening security in the Indo-Pacific amid concerns over China’s growing influence. India is Australia’s sixth-largest trading partner, while around 750,000 people in Australia claim Indian ancestry.
