ASIO

ASIO stands for Australian Security Intelligence Organisation and their job is to keep us and the country safe. They are responsible for protecting us from espionage, sabotage, acts of foreign interference, politically motivated violence, attacks on the Australian Defence Force, serious and major crime and terrorism.

Last week, the head of ASIO says Australia faces a growing threat of cyber espionage and cyber warfare. In a rare public lecture at the University of Canberra, ASIO Director-General David Irvine highlighted cyber security as a "key issue of the twenty first century" and warned that there were "constant attempts to steal the nation's secrets" but he didn't say who they were. He described the internet as "extraordinarily democratic" but it was also a "two edged sword" for national security in the covert gathering of information.

In March this year, ASIO announced they were looking for people on Facebook to join its ranks. ASIO openly advertising for recruits? How bizarre? Just imagine being an ASIO secret agent - a dream job. But they say it's nothing like a James Bond movie. "Most of the time you are sitting in a car waiting for something to happen and that can be quite boring. However, when things do happen, it can be quick and fast-paced and the adrenalin gets going" they said.

ASIO is looking for "high calibre" applicants and the selection process is highly competitive with about 170,000 people applying last year. The agency has been growing by about 170 officers every year. They are moving to new Canberra headquarters which are currently under construction. The 400,000 square metre building is costing taxpayers about $600 million and has raised some eyebrows among Canberra locals as contruction continues at a massive site near the north side of Lake Burley Griffin.

ASIO was responsible for sending Mansour Leghaei - the Sydney Islamic cleric - back to his birth country of Iran last month. The father of four flew out of Sydney with his wife and 14 year old daughter after a long campaign by Australian supporters. Dr Leghaei, an imam at the Shia Imam Husain Islamic Centre at Earlwood was ordered to leave Australia after ASIO said he was a security risk. But Neither ASIO nor the government will tell him the reasons behind the decision saying they don't have to because he's not an Australian citizen. He spent more than 10 years in the courts fighting the decision. ASIO translated Arabic diaries of Dr Leghaei and claimed they promoted jihad. An anonymous letter said he had links to an obscure French terrorism cell which was also used in ASIO's case and they declared that he had carried out "acts of interference".

In October 2009 ASIO was involved in the arrest and conviction of five Sydney Muslim men found guilty of terrorism offences involving an attack on Australia. The guilty verdict took five years from the time they were arrested after raids by police in November 2004. The five men were all provided with legal assistance - a barrister, junior and instructing solicitor each throughout the trial provided by Legal Aid. It has been estimated that the combined cost of the case - for the defence and prosecution by the Crown was $9 million and the operation by ASIO and the Australian Federal Police was $37 million.

So would you like to be a secret agent? If you have a Uni degree and think you have what it takes, go to http://www.asio.gov.au/