Mike Burgess own words, page-5

asio isn’t there to monitor threats to other countries but to monitor threats to Australia. What they regard as threats most likely reflects existing political climate - so in the Cold War period they monitored anyone who they might have seen as a communist/russian sympathiser or agitator against democratic stability or threatening to undermine society If if students were trained (and they as well as lecturers were) they would have been unlikely to tell you that. If they did - well so what?

if you think it’s malicious to try to protect a country’s values and borders from unwanted interference then maybe they should have been keeping an eye on you.


The freedom you have clearly had all your life is to disagree with all sorts of government policies, to express this disagreement and still be around to do so.

If you disagree with the country you live in to the extent you think they are malicious you can always move to one of the places you defend. Iran maybe. Take your wife with you. Russia. It’s chilly but a warm coat will help and there is some very beautiful scenery.

do they get it wrong. Yes they do. While not australia a friend of mine had her career choices stymied because the security services had made gross errors of judgment based on an inadequate understanding of her background. I was most likely on their books but was one of the least political people you might have come across. I am probably fortunate I made career choices that meant I never faced their stupidity

and it was stupidity - not malicious. a lack of understanding

however better to be watching people who are harmless along with those that might blow a place up than miss everyone If your harmless nothing will happen