Four Indian intelligence officers were asked to leave Australia in 2020: Report

In 2020, four Indian intelligence officers were asked to leave Australia after allegedly attempting to access sensitive defence technology and airport security protocols, according to the Australian media.

As per a report by national broadcaster Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), the officers quietly left the country, and the issue did not escalate bilaterally. The expulsion has placed India on par with countries like Russia and China, known for violating protocols overseas, the ABC noted.

The report revealed that former and current politicians, as well as the state police service, were being targeted. It also accused them of monitoring the Australian Indian community. This comes years after Mike Burgess, chief of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), disclosed in 2021 that the organisation had disrupted a 'nest of spies' in Australia. Burgess stated that ASIO had confronted and removed the foreign spies from the country in a professional manner.

In April 2024, The Washington Post reported that two officers from the Research and Analysis Wing, India’s foreign intelligence service, were expelled from Australia in 2020. Subsequently, it reported that several Indian officials were being removed from Australia by the Scott Morrison government. Burgess stated that the foreign spies were confronted and removed quietly and professionally.

Anthony Albanese succeeded Morrison as the Australian Prime Minister in May 2022. Reports have pointed to alleged activities of Indian intelligence agencies in monitoring and intimidating members of the Indian diaspora. 

Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong refused to confirm the 2020 incident but stressed the importance of ensuring the resilience of Australian democracy in the face of any suggestion of foreign interference. Wong stated in April, "We have laws to deal with that."