Interesting reaction from Mike Burgess the Head of ASIO when he called out the behaviour of the media as “mind blowing stupid” in trying to incite racism in Australia.
It begs the question whether Mossad has infiltrated News Corp and is trying to stir up division here in Australia.
While Australians are some of the most tolerant people on earth, we don’t need other countries bringing their animosities here to Australia.
High immigration brings enough economic problems. We don’t need assimilation problems as well. Regardless of foreign interference, it has to be said the mainstream media need to have their behaviour scrutinised. They have been dog whistling and fear mongering for years.
They have become nothing more than a mouthpiece for vested interests and the government who want to distract us from their own incompetence.
Committee on 25/02/2025
Item: Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee – 25/02/2025 – Estimates – ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S PORTFOLIO – Australian Security Intelligence Organisation
Senator RENNICK: Yes. I’m not sure if I should ask you or the AFP. Are you involved with the caravan—
Mr Burgess : We’re Australia’s security service, so we are involved in investigation supporting the police, both AFP and New South Wales police. But I can’t talk about incidents that we’re investigating, so it depends on your question.
Senator RENNICK: I guess, with the way it was reported in the press, it was almost like a foregone conclusion from the get-go, even though subsequently, a few weeks later, it was reported that the explosives had been there for a couple of decades, there were no detonators and they didn’t seem to think it was deliberate or it didn’t appear to be necessarily as bad as what was first portrayed. We often talk about the terror groups themselves, but it seems to me that the media should also have a little bit of a microscope applied to them, because they’re very good at the moment at whipping up fear or hatred between groups, in my view. I felt that reporting didn’t add to anything at all, and, if anything, it seemed overexaggerated. Is that a fair comment to make? Have you got a comment to make on that?
Mr Burgess : You ask me to comment on the media. They have a great responsibility to comment appropriately. They’re there to tell the story as they see it, but obviously they have a responsibility beyond that. I won’t comment on the specific incident at this stage.
Senator RENNICK: Sure. On something similar, there was an example a couple of weeks ago where the media tried to bait the owner of a cafe into making a statement that could be interpreted as being racist or prejudiced. That’s another example where the media, in my view, is stirring up trouble. It’s not your role, but do you think that the media might need to tone it down?
Mr Burgess : In that case, if those facts are correct, then that is just mind-blowingly stupid—is it not?—and inappropriate that you would do something to generate a headline. It is entirely unhelpful, and think about the poor person on the receiving end of that.
Senator RENNICK: Yes. Cheers.
