Top spy chief says ‘realistic possibility' three foreign governments could attempt assassinations on Australian soil, warns ‘threat is real’

The nation's top spy chief Mike Burgess has said there is a “realistic possibility” three foreign governments would attempt to conduct assassinations in Australia in a speech on Tuesday evening.

Director-general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, Mike Burgess is speaking now. Sky News subscribers can watch live on Skynews.com.au. To become a subscriber, click here.

Delivering the 2025 Lowy Lecture, Mr Burgess said Australia has never faced “so many different threats” at once and stressed that social cohesion was “under siege” and “under attack”.

“The conflict in the Middle East ... reshaped Australia’s security environment from afar. While the conflict did not directly inspire terrorism here, it prompted protest exacerbated tension, undermined social cohesion and elev