Safeguarding Australia 2020 summit will address the need to examine the continuing concerns and emerging intelligence about Foreign Interference and Malign Foreign Influence, here and in our region. In addition to the powerful and timely government response to countering Foreign Interference and Influence with the latest establishment of the Counter Foreign Interference Taskforce (CFIT) which will elevate intelligence agencies’ abilities to detect and disrupt foreign interference. In addition, maintaining the ongoing key focus as well on cyber-radicalisation of extremists groups on both the Left and the Right and to address the concern of malign interference arising from internet radicalisation and its enablement of terrorism. With the recent London Bridge and last year’s Christchurch terrorist attacks in the forefront of our minds, this area warrants continued close examination at the 2020 summit.

Shortly before retiring earlier this year, outgoing ASIO Director-General Duncan Lewis said foreign interference presented a greater threat than terrorism with the potential to be an ‘existential threat to the state’

Safeguarding Australia 2020 will bring together experts from government, industry and academia to shine the spotlight on this unprecedented threats to Australia’s sovereignty, academic, industry and cultural institutions.

The 2020 Summit Agenda is built around a thematic structure of:

·         Foreign Interference – Identifying and responding to the foreign interference threat to our sovereignty, culture, industry and academia.

·         Foreign Influence – Determining when Australia’s geopolitical position and goals are undermined by malign acts of influence in our region and areas of strategic interest.

·         Cyberspace and the spread on malign influence –  identifying and responding to non–state actors, in particular terrorist propaganda, radicalisation, the global rise of the racist and ultra-nationalist right and Da’esh-inspired extremism.