Perceptions:

I grew up in a world where "squealing" was a serious offence among friends.

The penalty for squealing were often severe, which reinforced the notion of loyalty.

It seems the above ethic is not universal.

Dan

It's not a bad thing' for Top Secret documents to be given to the media! And this person claims to have been an intelligence officer? And just what is a 'free press'? A lying bunch of Leftist activists like we have in Australia? A mob of West-haters? The ABC?

Anyone who calls the hard-working and patriotic Peter Dutton 'bellicose' is not someone worth listening to.

The media might know what it thinks its "responsibilities" are, but it certainly does not act responsibly, and it should be dealt with in the harshest possible manner when it puts itself above the law. Fortunately, if is not likely that Peter Dutton will be taking advice from a sad old ex-spook and a dippy female ex-magazine editor and the latest lefty given the reins of the biased and bigoted ABC that we would all be better off without.

When law enforcement becomes the arm of the political class, and this, I believe, describes the AFP, the resulting (Keystone cops) fracas never ever look good. In fact, looked at from the outside, we look more and more like a police state with a diabolically dictatorial Dutton directing/defending its activities and becoming more and more like his personal army to direct as whim and caprice dictates?

[If it quacks like a duck? And, if the cap fits?]

Weren't we PROMISED a federal ICAC!? And why isn't the AFP made completely independent and free from any political interference of direction whatsoever? Just have it's charter and funding paradigm carved in stone along with space-age lie detection integrity testing, an annual review for all officers. And done by another arm's length entity, like say, a federal ICAC?
Alan B.

Within the author’s scattergun delivery some points are useful, some middling and some are a worry.

Two of his points don’t sit together too well:

- Paragraph 3 “classified documents, even Top Secret material, mysteriously find their way into the hands of the media, which in a democracy is generally no bad thing.”
would gladden the heart of the type of information anarchist worshipped by some (see Four Corners last night).

Where “Top Secret material, mysteriously find their way into the hands of the media, which in a democracy is generally no bad thing.” becomes a little dangerous is in the author’s Paragraph 8 where he writes and I flesh it out with [...] brackets:

- Paragraph 8 “Confusion and contradiction like this do nothing to inspire the community's trust, a trust that has played a major role in the success of ASIO and the AFP in thwarting terror attacks. [TOP SECRET] Tip-offs [from informants] are more important than most people realise."

"They're often crucial; just one [informant] with enough respect for, and trust in [THE NON-LEAKING SECURITY OF ASIO, AFP and other agencies], can tip the scales. Many of those tip-offs come from migrant [informants who entrust their TOP SECRET tipoffs to ASIO or the AFP knowing that if the tip-offs are SUBSEQUENTLY LEAKED TO JOURNALISTS - THAT INFORMANT WILL BE KILLED by terror groups in his community]."

Comment: So if informants suspect that if there is a remote chance the TOP SECRET information they give to ASIO and AFP MIGHT BE SUBSEQUENTLY LEAKED TO JOURNALISTS – then informants won’t give the information

and bombs will go off in future.

Of course we must contain out secrets.
I don't have any strict policy or stand on this subject but I am more concerned in the ability and viability of our intelligence groups.
From past performance, I find them wanting.
Judging by the rhetoric and reading between the lines, I find it uncomfortable to find out that we the Australian citizens are of more concern and suspicion than some of the more evil of criminals.
How many times have we heard AFTER a terrorist act, 'he was a person of interest', or 'we were watching him'.
Well talk about FAIL, and taking the eye off the ball.
These are not some isolated cases, they are the norm.
Australians, from the PM down are a lazy, entitled lot, who can't be bothered to do anything other than 'have a good time', and their even sh!thouse at doing that.
Think about it, our brilliant law enforcement couldn't catch a cold in a freezer, if it weren't for the public and even crime stoppers.
They are a danger to us as they indiscriminately charge people for the most ridiculous things and then stand over you to sign a mis-leading statement meant to incriminate you.
All the while they sit back and bullsh!t to the media and the public about how wonderful a job they're doing.
The bulk of the public, as I said are stupid.
They are lacking in smarts, they not only are stupid but gullible and naive.
"It's easier to accept a lie than to seek the truth".
I think that pretty much sums up this place and these people.
YOU, not me deserve what YOU created.
Not me!

They can't handle the truth !