An Australian government scheme to bring foreign influence out of the shadows has “significant flaws” and enforcement has “focused almost exclusively on China with little success”, an inquiry has found. In a damning report published on Wednesday, a powerful parliamentary committee said the scheme had achieved “such meagre results that it would be difficult to justify the ongoing compliance burden and resources without major reform”. Under proposed changes, the government would expand the definition of foreign government-related bodies and gain the power to place people on the public influence register…
Tag: Malcolm Turnbull
China is carrying out ‘blatant’ influence operations in Australia, Malcolm Turnbull says
Australian security agencies know China is carrying out “blatant” influence operations despite the lack of listings on the country’s transparency register, the former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has told an inquiry. Turnbull said on Tuesday he was “puzzled” the legislation his government introduced was not more rigorously enforced and that officials should not treat it as a “robotic box-ticking exercise”. Under the foreign influence transparency scheme (Fits) that took effect in late 2018, people must register activities they carry out in Australia on behalf of a foreign principal to shape…