It is the third time an individual has been charged with foreign interference offences since the Commonwealth introduced the laws in 2018. China condemned the laws at the time and cited them as one of its 14 major grievances with the Australian government.
A Victorian man and a NSW man were charged in 2020 and 2023 respectively in cases that involved allegations of Chinese foreign interference.
Australia has joined its allies in previously calling out China’s espionage efforts. In 2023, Burgess and the chiefs of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, which comprises the US, Britain, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, condemned China for what they said was the most sophisticated program of intellectual property theft in history.
It marked a departure from ASIO’s long-held practice of not explicitly naming China or other countries when publicly discussing espionage threats.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, Foreign Minister Penny Wong and ASIO have been contacted for comment.
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