ASIO Chief Says Espionage Threat Shifted Focus Away From Terror Before Bondi

The main focus of the Australian Security Intelligence Service (ASIO) prior to the Bondi terrorist attack on Dec. 14, 2025, was on foreign espionage and foreign interference in the community and in politics, the organisation’s chief told the Royal Commission on Anti-Semitism and Social Cohesion.

Director-General Mike Burgess admitted that, because those issues were “not connected” to the threat of terrorism, security agencies and police had no indication an attack was imminent.