ASIO is to be boosted with 500 extra agents and up to $50 million more in annual funding. The latest terror attacks in Bali and London have prompted the move, to be announced today by Attorney- General Philip Ruddock. The build-up is part of a five-year plan to strengthen the terrorist and espionage-fighting capabilities of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation - the nation's frontline intelligence-gathering agency. ASIO will get the extra staff to improve the collection and analysis of intelligence and increase its covert surveillance expertise. Its $200 million annual budget will get a big boost so that by 2010 the organisation will have 1500 agents.
At present, ASIO has fewer than 1000 agents - but that is double what its numbers were on September 11, 2001, when the World Trade Centre in New York was attacked.
The boost in numbers follows the Federal Government's decision to accept the recommendations of an independent report into ASIO by former spymaster Allan Taylor. His report was ordered last year after concerns that growth in ASIO numbers should be achieved on a more efficient basis.
The main fear in the intelligence community since the London and Bali blasts has been domestic attacks. But a broader rise in potential threats has raised the need for more agents. "ASIO's investigative workload has increased dramatically (since) September 11. We need to be able to cover all our bases," a Government spokesman said yesterday.
Criticism of the Government's planned terror laws has continued to mount after ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope posted a draft copy of the proposed laws on his website.
A peak lawyers group said Australians could face life behind bars if their money was used to finance terrorism, even accidentally.
| Except it's usually not an accident. |