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Australia’s intelligence and law enforcement agenciesAustralia’s intelligence and law enforcement agencies
About the author
Natasha Kassam
Natasha Kassam was Director of the Lowy Institute's Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Program from 2019 to 2022, directing the annual Lowy Institute Poll and researching China’s politics, Taiwan, and Australia-China relations.
A convincing majority of Australians (80%) agree that Australia’s intelligence agencies are effective at protecting Australia’s national security. In recent years, intelligence agencies have taken some steps towards improving transparency. The Independent National Security Monitor wrote in a recent annual report that ‘unnecessary secrecy can be seriously counter-productive’.
In 2020, the majority (59%) say that Australia’s intelligence agencies ‘have got the balance right between protecting national security and also being appropriately transparent with the Australian people about their activities’.
A solid majority (59%) also believe the Australian government ‘has got the balance right between the need for press freedom and the need to enforce the law and protect national security’, despite the highly-publicised raids in mid-2019 on journalists and their sources that kindled debate about press freedom in Australia.
