The Unnamed Traitorous Security Risk, a Former Politician By James Reed
According ASIO director-general Mike Burgess, a former politician, who was labelled a traitor, for spying, had sold out his country. But, Burgess will not be releasing the name, as the traitor is no longer a threat to security, and thus the issue is 'historical.' Peter Dutton demanded the name of the traitor be released, but was ignored, it seems.
It probably does not matter much that we do not know, as in the parallel situation of the United States, many politicians are doing deals with nations such as communist China, so it would be easier to just name the politicians who are honest, and not traitors !
"A former politician labelled a traitor by ASIO director-general Mike Burgess is "no longer a security concern", the spy chief declared as he refused to identify the person and a raft of ex-MPs demanded their names be cleared.
As Mr Burgess's revelations about an ex-MP-turned-spy, who tried to ensnare a prime minister's family member, stunned parliament and led to Peter Dutton demanding ASIO out the traitor, the ASIO director-general was forced to clarify that the treacherous politician was a "historical matter" as he said he would not publicly discuss individuals.
"I understand the interest in ASIO providing more details about the individual mentioned in a case study from my annual threat assessment," he said on Thursday night.
"It is an historic matter that was appropriately dealt with at the time. The individual (former politician) is no longer of security concern … in this case, while we want the foreign intelligence service to know its cover is blown, we do not want it to unpick how we discovered its activities."
Several Labor politicians, including ex-senator Sam Dastyari and former NSW MP Ernest Wong – on Thursday were publicly and privately denying that they were the former politician Mr Burgess referred to in his annual threat assessment.
The Opposition Leader launched an extraordinary intervention to suggest the ex-politician referred to by Mr Burgess as having "sold out their country" was from NSW Labor, with links to China.
Mr Dutton, former treasurer and US ambassador Joe Hockey and former politicians who have fallen under suspicion said the person should be outed, so as not to besmirch everyone who had held public office.
"The trouble is if he doesn't indicate the name, then there's a cloud hanging over everybody else," Mr Dutton told 2GB radio.
"If you're putting that detail out there … then I think it is incumbent to either give a little bit more criteria … because I think it's a little bit unfair on a lot of former MPs who are patriotic, as 99.9 per cent on both sides are. And if there's one who they've identified who's not, then that person should be outed and shamed."
Malcolm Turnbull's son Alex said he was targeted by suspected Chinese agents over an infrastructure project and he could be the family member of a former prime minister targeted by the foreign spy network working with an ex-politician.
Two former NSW Labor politicians – Mr Dastyari and Ernest Wong – said they were not the MP that worked with the foreign spy network. Others also privately rejected the assertion, as chatter circled around Parliament House as to who it could be.
Mr Wong, a former NSW upper house Labor MP, was found to have engaged in serious corrupt conduct when he tried to obscure the source of a $100,000 donation to the party. He said he hadn't been aware of Mr Burgess's speech until Thursday, but was "100 per cent sure" the ex-politician wasn't him.
"If ASIO has got evidence of whichever politician or whichever public figure is being investigated, of course they should name them. Otherwise everybody is pointed at," Mr Wong said.
Mr Dastyari resigned from federal parliament in early-2018 after a foreign influence scandal, including changing his position on the South China Sea to please a Labor donor linked to Chinese government organisations.
"Nothing to do with me and happy not to be commenting," Mr Dastyari said."
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