Gillard Defends Funding for Defense following China Hack
Prime Minister Julia Gillard came to the government's defense following the discovery of funding records for Australia's intelligence agencies. Four Corners previously reported that the cyber attack launched by Chinese hackers also targeted ASIO.
According to ABC's Four Corners program, classified blueprints were stolen from ASIO's headquarters in Canberra. Chinese hackers recently orchestrated several cyber attacks and these did not spare ASIO. The Chinese government already denied the allegations saying there are no grounds for such accusations.
Reports indicated the cyber attacks originated from a Chinese server.
The program also revealed that the cyber attack did not just breach ASIO but other units of the government as well. The Office of the Prime Minister, the Cabinet, the Departments of Defence and the Foreign Affairs and Trade have all been hacked to an extent. The attack was carried out in a series of sustained hacking operations.
Ms Gillard faced Parliament and called the report from Four Corners as "a number of unsubstantiated allegations."
"As the Attorney-General has stated neither he nor the director-general of ASIO intend to comment further on these inaccurate reports in accordance with the longstanding practice of both sides of politics not to comment on very specific intelligence matters," ABC quoted the prime minister.
Anthony Byrne spearheaded a parliamentary probing into the matter. He said that efficiency dividends were affecting the function and roles of national security agencies. Mr Byrne called this as unacceptable.
Opposition leader Tony Abbott, on the other hand, said that budget cuts can be justified only if they will not affect the capabilities of these agencies.
"All of our agencies are in a position to keep our country safe with the resources that they have," Ms Gillard said.
"I reject any suggestion that funding to Australia's intelligence agencies has been cut," she added.