Last year the head of the ASIO, Mr Mike Burgess’s annual threat assessment was blighted by errors of fact. This year he’s enlarged his repertoire to errors of judgment.

In a speech which:

• rambles to the point of incoherence
• is self-congratulatory and self-serving
• is bulked up with pointless historical nostalgia, and
• contains more corn than the State of Iowa

Burgess alleges that “Several years ago, the A-team successfully cultivated and recruited a former Australian politician. This politician sold out their country, party and former colleagues to advance the interests of a foreign regime.” The allegation, irrelevant to an assessment of current threats, has become notorious.

The former Liberal Minister, Joe Hockey, and others have oozed dudgeon thinking Burgess has cast a slur on all politicians. They’ve demanded he name names. Burgess has refused to cooperate for reasons that hold about as much water as a leaky colander, with apologies to Alex Buzo.

Hockey and his mates should have a drink and a cigar and calm down.

The crux is that Burgess has created a shambles for no reasons other than to grab a headline.

He has:

• dragged the ASIO into party political politics where it should not be
• put Ministers in the awkward position of backing him, if through gritted teeth, and
• whacked another big dent into the near battered to death reputation of the Home Affairs portfolio.

What to do?

First, the Government should make it clear to Burgess that he should put a sock in his annual so-called “threat assessments”. It doesn’t help to know that a terrorist attack is “POSSIBLE” no matter how much it is swathed in Burgess’s many pages of half told anecdotes, glimpses and nods and winks with which he has threaded his speeches over the last few years.

Second, the ASIO should be removed from the Buffalo Bill Cody ambience of the Home Affairs portfolio and put into the calmer, more balanced and naturally restraining lap of the Attorney-General’s.

Third, Mr Burgess should apologise for what he has done and undertake to try to do better. If he won’t, he should seriously consider his position.

https://johnmenadue.com/mike-burgess-has-damaged-asios-reputation-and-must-resignpic-asio-mike-burgess/

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