Members of Australia’s multicultural communities can be at greater risk of foreign interference. Other countries may try to use power and control over community members. This activity goes against our values, interests, and potentially our laws. We call this ‘community interference’.
Community interference can include when foreign countries try to:
- secretly spread false or misleading information and communications
- force or pressure community members to advance a foreign country’s economic or political interests at Australia’s expense
- monitor or harass community members they see as having dissenting views
- press community members to transfer wealth back to foreign countries.
- coerce community members to return to a foreign country to face legal charges, outside agreed extradition arrangements.
If you believe you have information on possible foreign interference or have seen or heard something suspicious contact the National Security Hotline.
Foreign interference threatens the safety and security of all Australians. To build community awareness and resilience, the Australian Government is working with communities, private and civil sectors, and all levels of government via:
- our department’s Community Liaison Officer (CLO) network
- our Counter Foreign Interference Coordination Centre partnership teams in the states and territories
- police
- national security agencies.
