Tinker tailor lawyer spy : The Zhenhua Data surveillance incident revisited in light of ASIO boss Mark Burgess' revelation that judicial officers have been targeted by foreign agents;it is in the national interest that judicial officers, like politicians, make full public disclosure of all their interests

 by Ganesh Sahathevan 

From left to right: Prof Eugene Clark, Hon George Brandis, Dr Minshen Zhu

ASIO chief Mike Burgess said recently: 

“In the last year, a small number of Australian judicial figures have been subjected to suspicious approaches,” Burgess revealed.

“While we are yet to conclusively conclude they were targeted by foreign intelligence services, we do know spies want insights into court cases relevant to their governments and are seeking to use litigation as an intelligence collection tool.”

Burgess' revelation brings to mind the Zhenhua Data surveillance incident,where a number of judges and their families appear to have been subject of Chinese government surveillance. 

As this writer said then, and will do again, it is in the national interest that the judicial officers involved, including the judges, make full disclosure of any vulnerability. 

It is in the national interest that judicial officers, like politicians, make full public  disclosure of all their interests.

TO BE READ WITH 

Tinker tailor lawyer spy: Secrets of judicial officers spied on may be exploited by thief

The Communist Party China linked Zhenhua Data surveillance of Australians including in particular judicial officers concerns all Australians.  Given their position any vulnerability that is exploited by the CPC can affect national security. 

For that reason it is in the national interest that the judicial officers involved, including the judges, make full disclosure of any vulnerability. 

This is not an unreasonable request; judges today have sought to insert themselves into public debates, and involve themselves in international affairs, in matters outside court. 

The Chief Justice Of NSW Tom Bathurst, and the NSW Legal Profession Admission Board, of which he is chairman, are good examples. Readers might recall that Mr Bathurst and his officers consider themselves players on the international stage: 

LPAB foray into international politics, 1MDB and a HK IPO demand that the Chairman (the CJ NSW) signs off the accounts

Compounding matters is the NSW LPAB and it chairman's refusal to do what they are being paid to do ie to be regulator of the  legal profession: 

Legal Profession Admission Board Annual Report 2015-16 deficiency : Is the Member for Cronulla, the AG NSW, a victim of regulatory capture by NSW Liberal donor Top Group?

Mr Bathrust and his officers have even managed to insert themselves into regional South East Asian business and politics, insisting that this well known lawyer from a prominent Malaysian political family is in fact an employee of the College Of Law who was being harassed by this writer:

Australia's College Of Law abuses Kitingan name to promote masters course of little or no value

These are all matters that can be easily exploited by any intelligence agency, but even more the Chinese given the subject matter. Bathrust and his NSW LPAB officers are but one example, we are entitled to know what other matters there may be that have obviously interested China's spy masters.