Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS

About

ASIS's primary goal is to obtain and distribute secret intelligence about the capabilities, intentions and activities of individuals or organisations outside Australia, - Undertake counter-intelligence activities which protect - Engage other intelligence and security services overseas which may impact on Australia's interests and the well- Graduate Opportunities being of its citizens. ASIS offers a 12 month graduate program called ACTIVATE. Successful applicants will gain experience through What kind of work? corporate and operational work placements and will be ASIS's functions are to: given the opportunity to travel and undertake specialist - Collect foreign intelligence, not available by other training. The program provides graduates with a broad means, which may impact on Australia's interests; overview of ASIS.

- Distribute that intelligence to the Government, including Graduates who successfully complete ACTIVATE will key policy departments and agencies; be offered a permanent job in a corporate, technical or Australia's interests and initiatives; and, You can find more information here: intelligence support role. https://www.asis.gov.au/Careers/Graduate-Program.html in Australia's national interests Fun Fact / Recent Project A Secret Agency Location For over twenty years, the existence of ASIS remained a Canberra secret, even from members of the Australian Government. The Service was first referred to in Parliament in 1975 and was not publicly acknowledged until 1977. The then Prime Minister, Malcolm Fraser, informed Parliament that "ASIS's capacity to serve Australia's national interest will continue to depend on its activities being fully protected by secrecy". This statement has been reaffirmed by successive Governments. Today, ASIS is a part of the Foreign Affairs portfolio and is responsible to the Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Based on a recommendation by a Commission of Inquiry in 1995, the Intelligence Services Act 2001 ('the Act') came into being in 2001. It provides a legislative framework for ASIS and made public for the first time, ASIS's functions and limits.