Foreign powers are trying to interfere in the vital business of Australian local governments.
Local governments are attractive to foreign powers due to their range of responsibilities and access to grassroots communities.
Foreign interference weakens the integrity of local government and negatively impacts the local community. It also erodes trust in the important processes that underpin our democracy.
False and misleading relationships
Foreign powers are aware of the importance of local government in Australia. They are interested in developing secret and deceptive relationships with elected members and staff.
They can use relationships to give them improper access to:
- decision-makers to influence other local, state and federal government politicians, officials and decisions
- sensitive information on the local community that they can then use to their advantage.
Their goals include improperly:
- promoting positive perceptions of their country and acceptance of their policies
- influencing policy decisions at the local level.
Improve your resilience
Local governments can enhance their resilience to foreign interference and develop responses by adopting 3 key principles:
- Identify
- Identify and manage foreign interference risks to your organisation.
- Safeguard
- Protect your organisation through protective security and due diligence measures that will reduce the risk, and mitigate the impacts, of foreign interference.
- Adapt
- Remedy, recover, learn from, and adapt to threats to your organisation.
Local government councillors and officials can protect themselves from foreign interference by engaging in appropriate due diligence. This includes understanding the:
Find out more at Democratic institutions and countering foreign interference.
To report suspected instances of foreign interference to the National Security Hotline – see Reporting foreign interference.
