Official portrait of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. By Australian Government link

Aussie Security Committee Madness: Spy Agency Chiefs Kicked Out, Replaced by Climate Head

Essay by Eric Worrall

Imagine if the CIA and FBI were disinvited from the US National Security Council, and replaced by the head of the EPA. Because this is the grotesque level of government incompetence Aussies are enduring.

Climate Change Department chief replaces heads of ASIO and ASIS on National Security Committee of Cabinet

Australia’s most senior climate change bureaucrat will have a seat at the National Security Committee after the Albanese government dumped the intelligence chiefs from a permanent spot on the premier security body.

Sharri Markson Sky News Host
March 19, 2024 – 8:45PM

The Climate Change Department Secretary is a new regular attendee to the National Security Committee of Cabinet, while our top intelligence chiefs have been removed as permanent members.

Sky News Australia can reveal that Climate Change Department Secretary David Fredericks has attended the premiere national security body, despite ASIO and ASIS directors-general no longer being automatic members.

Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen and the Labor Government declined to respond to questions about how often and why Mr Fredericks attends the National Security Committee of Cabinet.

A spokesman for the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet said it does not comment on national security matters.

Read more: https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/defence-and-foreign-affairs/climate-change-department-chief-replaces-heads-of-asio-and-asis-on-national-security-committee-of-cabinet/news-story/fb474d71eea38d423f82e0eb9045cf04

What a national embarrassment.

Did the spy chiefs try to tell the Prime Minister that Australia has problems other than climate change? We can only speculate what led to this absurdity.

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Scarecrow Repair
March 19, 2024 10:07 pm

I don’t have much truck with governments, period, and their intelligence agencies never seem to do much good even in a governmental sense. But to even have a “climate change department”, let alone elevate its importance above the intelligence agencies … well good gosh I’ve run out of words to describe it.

Reply to  Scarecrow Repair
March 19, 2024 10:17 pm

“. . . I’ve run out of words to describe it.”

I’m (currently) a drunken sailor–I have plenty of words to describe it!

Ian_e
Reply to  Jim Masterson
March 20, 2024 2:41 am

Yes – but can you use them here?

strativarius
Reply to  Ian_e
March 20, 2024 3:40 am

Take a leaf out of the post-modern left’s play on words book- get creative, most of the time they are

intoxicated by the exuberance of their own verbosity…. Wilde

c1ue
Reply to  Scarecrow Repair
March 20, 2024 7:23 am

I don’t have much truck with Western governments, period, and their intelligence agencies never seem to do much good even in a governmental sense.

There fixed. Governments in a lot of other countries actually seem to get things done i.e. improve the lives of their people.
I actually saw the Five Eyes heads of intel, all in one place, at a Hoover Institute event. Always good to see the faces behind all the domestic and foreign black ops. They were promoting “Five Eyes” branded security awareness for universities and corporations, lol.
So all things considered – I actually see the move above as a net win for Australia. I would totally rather have one of the EPA nut jobs on the US National Security Council as opposed to all of the most recent CIA heads.

Scarecrow Repair
Reply to  c1ue
March 20, 2024 7:34 am

No. I said I don’t have much truck with governments, period. You may have truck with non-Western governments, but keep your words to your self. Don’t attribute to me what I expressly did not write.

You didn’t fix squat.

MarkW
Reply to  c1ue
March 20, 2024 3:31 pm

Can you name these Eastern governments that are actually improving the lives of their citizens?

Reply to  Scarecrow Repair
March 20, 2024 8:41 am

Government in a nutshell:
Bad policy implemented poorly.

Bob
March 19, 2024 10:17 pm

It’s government, what can I say?

Reply to  Bob
March 20, 2024 4:35 am

It’s radical leftwing government.

Editor
March 19, 2024 10:26 pm

“We can only speculate what led to this absurdity.”. No need to speculate. The Albanese labor government is now simply doing China’s bidding.

Richard Page
Reply to  Mike Jonas
March 19, 2024 11:01 pm

I’m sorry but I think it’s a non-story. There are two security committee’s in the Australian government, the NSC or National Security Committee of Cabinet which cabinet ministers attend and the senior members of the ADF might be invited to, and the SCNS or the Secretaries Committee on National Security which is attended by the ministerial departments secretaries and the heads of the intelligence services. The SCNS determines all major matters that go before the NSC and supports government security issues. I think someone has confused the two, very different, security committee’s and come up with the wrong answer. It still doesn’t explain why a ‘Climate Change Minister has been added to the NSC though, except for the usual idiocies.

Nick Stokes
Reply to  Richard Page
March 19, 2024 11:17 pm

‘Climate Change Minister has been added to the NSC”

Well, that happened back in June 2022, when the MInistry was created, following through on an election promise.

Richard Page
Reply to  Nick Stokes
March 20, 2024 4:15 pm

You explained why the Cabinet position was created without explaining why he is on the Security Committee. I didn’t ask when the post was created, I didn’t ask why the post had been created, both questions you volunteered unwanted answers for without answering the question I did ask.

Editor
Reply to  Richard Page
March 20, 2024 1:45 am

I have never more wanted to be wrong. I hope your interpretation is the correct one.

Nick Stokes
March 19, 2024 10:27 pm

What a national embarrassment.”

It is the Sky News report that is an embarrassment. The committee is, as its name says, a Committee of Cabinet. Its members are Cabinet ministers. Department heads attend, but are not members. Heads of ASIO and ASIS were never members, but may be asked to attend. The head of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water also attends.

leefor
Reply to  Nick Stokes
March 19, 2024 10:39 pm

Yes. The climate will dictate national security. 😉

Reply to  Nick Stokes
March 19, 2024 11:29 pm

The main “security issue” for all Australians… even you, Nick…

… is the Albanese government !!

You never have explained why you support an anti-science socialist agenda that wants to bring down western civilisation…

You know… that civilisation that you are part of… that supports your whole feeble existence.

Or do you think you will be gone by the time that happens???

CD in Wisconsin
Reply to  Nick Stokes
March 20, 2024 10:23 am

Heads of ASIO and ASIS were never members, but may be asked to attend.

Nick,

If national security is not a cabinet level issue in Australia, it sure as hell should be. Consider yourselves fortunate that you are in the ANZUS alliance with us here in America. We would have to act if China decides to get really bold someday an invade you.

The idea that the climate alarmist narrative is a cabinet level issue and national security is not is ludicrous.

Nick Stokes
Reply to  CD in Wisconsin
March 20, 2024 1:37 pm

Of course it is a cabinet level issue. That is why they have this committee. The organisations referenced are the responsibility of the Dept of Foreign Affairs and of Home security, respectively. Heads of those departments attend with their ministers.

Reply to  Nick Stokes
March 20, 2024 3:04 pm

To improve Australia’s security…

… they should shut down bodies like the Climate Institute and all those bodies that support any sort of net zero or climate agendas.

Those are the things that will destroy Australia.

Those are the things that ignorant marxist twits like Nick support.

MarkW
Reply to  Nick Stokes
March 20, 2024 3:34 pm

In your “opinion”, there is no difference between permanent and non-permanent members?

Chris Hanley
March 20, 2024 12:01 am

If Bowen has his way Australia will be entirely dependent on the government of China’s good will for its power generation equipment and replacements indefinitely, so he will want his favourite mandarin Mr Fredericks (salary + benefits $824,000 pa 2021-22) on hand to deal with unhelpful advice from those pesky ASIO and ASIS officials.

Mr.
Reply to  Chris Hanley
March 20, 2024 5:02 am

Ah, but they have a secret weapon to call upon –
Kevin Rudd. 🤡

strativarius
March 20, 2024 1:38 am

intelligence chiefs have been removed 

Intelligence has been removed – fixed

Reply to  strativarius
March 20, 2024 2:34 am

WRONG.. There was never any intelligence there in the first place.

strativarius
Reply to  bnice2000
March 20, 2024 3:21 am

I was feeling generous

March 20, 2024 1:48 am

I can’t point to specifics as it was just casual reading, quite some time ago, but this puts me to mind of some of the insanity that went on under a few of the Roman Empire’s late period mad emperors.

strativarius
Reply to  AndyHce
March 20, 2024 1:51 am

Caligula Albanese…

Shytot
Reply to  strativarius
March 20, 2024 8:24 am

Net Zero becomes Nero?

strativarius
Reply to  bnice2000
March 20, 2024 3:23 am

Bad day at Black Rock….

Duane
March 20, 2024 3:40 am

Well, the Australian voters can do something about this. If they don’t, then they have nobody else to blame but themselves.

Scarecrow Repair
Reply to  Duane
March 20, 2024 5:53 am

Even when they have a choice, it almost certainly won’t include any good choices, and the public gets very little say in the choices available.

Tom Halla
March 20, 2024 5:39 am

When is the next election?

March 20, 2024 6:34 am

At what point does delusion become treason?

March 20, 2024 6:37 am

The US is even more goofy in the same vein.

The Expulsive
March 20, 2024 6:38 am

Australia (the place I am from) is currently run by a mad mob. Like Canada (the place where I live) they have failed to understand their place in the world (though it is worse here with that shambolic Trudeau government), which is providers of wool and miners of resources.

Mr.
Reply to  The Expulsive
March 20, 2024 8:45 am

Yes both countries are currently suffering governments that are run by politicians whose sole aspirations are to graduate to sinecures at the UN.

Cushy jobs for life, no more pretending to care about constituents’ wellbeing, no more annoying election campaigning, no more sucking up to reporters, so many conferences at exotic locations, and most gratifying of all – schmoozing among fellow marxists day in, day out.

Reply to  The Expulsive
March 20, 2024 9:15 pm

Don’t forget Marmite (or is it Vegimite?).

0perator
March 20, 2024 7:21 am

If the CIA and FBI were broken into a trillion little pieces, I would call that a decent start.

March 20, 2024 7:52 am

Makes perfect sense. Bringing intelligence into the discussion would only slow down the progress toward a more equitable and inclusive future where everyone gets to starve together in the dark.

CD in Wisconsin
March 20, 2024 8:25 am

Wow, and I thought Biden was bad.

Reply to  CD in Wisconsin
March 22, 2024 6:11 am

Both are turds.

You are comparing turds.

Usually there is a lesser of two turds (and anyone that is forcing the choice between two turds is the third, greater turd). But a turd is still a turd.

( ‘every Saturday we work in the yard; pick up the dog doo; hoping it’s hard …’)

JamesB_684
March 20, 2024 8:54 am

Well, that’s not a good sign. Maybe the U.S. should hold off on selling Virginia class submarines to Australia until after they grow up.

Richard Page
Reply to  JamesB_684
March 20, 2024 4:19 pm

Who, the US or the Australians? I would hardly call the Biden regime the party of grown-ups, despite his physical age.

March 20, 2024 11:33 am

In the picture I assume Albo is trying to appear wise and all knowing. However, I suspect everything above the glasses is empty dead space given this decision

March 20, 2024 2:22 pm

Who was that cowboy weirdo who ride his horse to DC to accept a U.S. cabinet post?

Reply to  Warren Beeton
March 20, 2024 3:06 pm

What a totally irrelevant and moronic comment… even from a beetroot/turnip !!

Richard Page
Reply to  Warren Beeton
March 20, 2024 4:26 pm

Ryan Zinke. So what?

March 20, 2024 2:36 pm

Australia is often been referred to as the “Land Down Under”.
It seems that some Heads in power down there have taken “Down Under” to a whole new level!

observa
Reply to  Gunga Din
March 20, 2024 11:31 pm
March 21, 2024 10:19 am

mebbe Climate Change Department Secretary David Fredericks has always been a leading persona in the ‘spy agency’ system. mebbe this lateral move is simply housekeeping, and/or an excuse to restrict his (past, current, future) climate communications from further view.