Mike Burgess, the director-general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, has appeared before the Royal Commission on Anti-Semitism and Social Cohesion to give evidence about his agency's actions in the years leading up to the Bondi terror attack. Burgess is among five witnesses set to appear at the start of the second hearing block in Sydney.
Burgess told the commission that ASIO left no leads uninvestigated during the period in question. The hearings focused broadly on the agency's aims and priorities, particularly the allocation of resources between counter-terrorism and counter-espionage operations.
The interim report published by the Royal Commission had raised concerns that ASIO had shifted much of its resourcing toward counter-espionage and counter-foreign interference in the early 2020s. Burgess explained this was reflective of the security environment at the time, particularly after the collapse of the ISIS caliphate in mid-2019.
However, Burgess acknowledged that after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, there was a very public shift in ASIO's counter-terrorism priorities. The agency recognised the changed threat landscape and adjusted its operations accordingly.
The Royal Commission continues to examine what was known by intelligence and security agencies ahead of the Bondi attack and how that information was shared and acted upon. Further hearings are expected to delve into the specifics of what was known about the attackers themselves.