A Security State in Denial: The Hanukkah Massacre and the Shifting Priorities of Australia's Spy Agency The revelation that Australia's main domestic spy agency, ASIO, shifted resources away from counterterrorism just before the 2024 Hanukkah massacre has left many questioning whether the country's national security apparatus is equipped to handle evolving threats.
Director General Mike Burgess's testimony to a government inquiry into antisemitism in Australia highlights a disturbing trend: as terrorism changes, so do the priorities of those tasked with preventing it.
In 2022, ASIO downgraded the National Terrorism Threat Level from "probable" to "possible," citing the defeat of the Islamic State group in the Middle East.