During a Senate Committee hearing on Feb. 22, representatives from the Defence Department detailed that the exemption timeframe for Australian defence personnel who intend to work for a foreign entity could vary depending on the type of job and knowledge they possess during their military service. The exemption timeframe is related to the military secrets bill introduced in September 2023 to counter attempts from hostile entities to steal Australian secrets. The bill was introduced following reports that the Chinese Communist Party recruited former military personnel from Australia, Canada, the UK, and the United States to provide training for its armed forces.
According to First Assistant Secretary Defence Security Peter West, the government is looking to establish a “reasonable” timeframe regarding the aging of a person’s knowledge and skills. This timeframe aims to ensure that the knowledge and skills of defence personnel would no longer remain critical and cutting-edge after their retirement, while also taking into account the type of job that a person did during their military service. West also explained that some job families will be excluded totally from the exemption, while others will have a lesser timeframe of around five years, and some roles with longer-lasting and more critical knowledge could have a timeframe of up to 10 years.
During the hearing, Ewan MacMillan, the deputy director-general of the Vetting Service Delivery at the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, warned about hostile foreign states aggressively targeting Australian secrets by seeking access to government employees. He stressed that Australia needed to take tougher measures and adapt to the situation, as foreign intelligence services actively targeted individuals with access to secrets and expertise. Mr. MacMillan also emphasized the need to protect Australia’s sensitive information and capabilities in the face of the rising threat.