Espionage and terror threats grow in dangerous era

At least three nations that plotted to murder or harm people in Australia have been put on notice by the top spy agency, whose chief vows to protect the community.

Australian Security Intelligence Organisation director-general Mike Burgess used his annual threat assessment to declassify information about a hostile nation attempting to lure someone from Australia to another country to hurt or kill them.

The plan to arrange an "accident" was foiled when the intelligence agency stepped in to stop the gambit.

Australia was within an era "that's more dangerous for foreign espionage but also violent foreign activities than we've probably ever seen," strategic policy expert Matthew Sussex from the Australian National University told AAP.

"I think (Mr) Burgess is right to call it out because Australians need to be aware this is going on," he said.

Threats and acts of violence by hostile governments against multicultural communities in Australia served to create fear and suppress dissidents, Dr Sussex said.

This included foreign countries paying local criminals to engage in acts of sabotage or violence such as arson attacks to divide communities, he said.

"It's to keep diaspora communities fearful, particularly those who have an interest in things like human rights - it's well beyond foreign interference and influence, it's acts of aggression," Dr Sussex said.

"Any nation with a bad human rights record and a history of going after minority communities in their country should potentially be on the radar of both ASIO and law enforcement."

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus didn't name the nations, but contended "those countries know who they are".

"We will not tolerate the surveillance, harassment or intimidation of anyone, anywhere in Australia," he told ABC Radio on Thursday.

"We will protect our democracy, our agencies will protect from harm anyone who seeks to do them harm."

At least four nations plotted coerced repatriations, where people in Australia are heavily pressured to return to their birth country, Mr Burgess said.

Sabotage and espionage also remain major risks, he added, with one hostile nation found to have constantly probed critical infrastructure to explore and exploit possible vulnerabilities or install malware to gain access in the future.

Opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson said Mr Burgess' assessment, delivered on Wednesday night, was "particularly bleak and sobering".

"There's a pretty clear shortlist of the states that would have an interest and would have the ability to intervene in our democracy, and it is the authoritarian states and those who have interest in our region," he told Sky News.

"I can tell you that the people who are targeted by this, and the diaspora communities who are under the thumb of these regimes, know exactly what he's talking about."

Nations could try to influence diaspora groups to sway their votes or direct political preferences within Australia, the senator warned.

Despite the range and frequency of these incidents, Mr Burgess said the second half of this decade could have more surprises in store.

"Consider yourself warned," he told a room full of intelligence officials, law enforcement officers and diplomats including the Chinese ambassador.

China wasn't named in his speech but Russia and Iran were.

But China is the No.1 security threat, Australian Strategic Policy Institute executive director Justin Bassi said.

"There are more countries, more non-state actors, that are working against Australia's interests and looking to undermine our way of life and our democratic system of government," he added.

Mr Burgess has also warned there was a rising tide of children being targeted by extremist content online.

ASIO disrupted five terror plots in 2024 and of all the potential terrorist matters investigated last year, almost all involved minors.

"Radicalised minors can pose the same credible terrorist threat as adults," Mr Burgess said.