Australian Spy Chief warns foreign trolls are fueling social division
Australia’s top security official has warned that foreign-backed online operatives and extremist groups are increasingly exploiting social tensions in the country, turning public debate into dangerous polarisation.
ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess said during his annual Lowy Institute address on Tuesday that “state-sanctioned trolls” linked to Russia are deliberately amplifying anger around anti-immigration rallies and pro-Palestinian protests, pushing Australians toward division and potential violence. He said these operatives are working with overseas media networks to target Canberra’s support for Ukraine while feeding hostility online, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
“This is more than propaganda,” Burgess said. “They want to light the match — to turn disagreements into division, and division into violence.”
Burgess also revealed that Australia’s largest neo-Nazi group has tried to capitalise on cost-of-living demonstrations and anti-immigration sentiment. At the same time, he pointed to Iran’s attempt earlier this year to fuel anti-Semitism in Australia as part of a broader global campaign.
Despite escalating risks, Burgess stressed that such efforts have achieved “limited traction,” crediting Australia’s social-welfare system, compulsory voting and stable economy for helping maintain social cohesion. Still, he issued a stark warning: ASIO believes at least three foreign governments may be willing to carry out assassinations on Australian soil against political dissidents.
Social media algorithms, he noted, are accelerating extremism, but it is people who act on the messages. “We risk creating real-world ‘aggro-rhythms’,” he said — a cycle where anger and online rhetoric feed into real-world threats.
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