Foreign interference and your business

Foreign interference is when a foreign government secretly or dishonestly tries to change things in Australia. They do this to hurt our interests and help their own.

The people and organisations who carry out interference are called foreign actors. They work directly or indirectly for the foreign government. Foreign actors target government, businesses, schools, local communities and the media.

There are many reasons foreign actors may target Australian businesses, including to:

• control or shape decisions to their advantage
• steal sensitive information (this is known as espionage)
• get a commercial edge or economic benefit
• access advanced technology to adapt for military use.

Australian businesses are targets because they often have valuable information, skills or access to supply chains.

Foreign interference in your business can:

• put sensitive information at risk
• damage trust with customers, partners or government
• cause financial loss
• create legal or reputational problems.

Foreign interference affects businesses of all sizes, not just large organisations or government.

Foreign actors are most likely to target businesses involved in:

• researching, developing, manufacturing or deploying critical technology
• exploring, extracting, processing, manufacturing or recycling critical minerals
• owning, operating or managing critical infrastructure
• information technology, higher education, healthcare, finance or fintech.

Your business could still be a target, even if it does not operate in these sectors.

You also face risks of foreign interference if you work with or supply these businesses.

Foreign interference may happen during everyday business interactions, such as:

• entering partnerships or investment arrangements
• sharing information with overseas contacts
• working with suppliers or clients linked to foreign governments
• taking part in research, innovation or advanced technology work.

Foreign interference often develops over time. It may start with small or informal requests that look reasonable at first.

Foreign actors can also target people inside your business, such as current or former employees or contractors. Foreign actors may build trust, offer favours or deceive your staff to make them:

• share sensitive details about your business
• provide access to information or systems
• change decisions.

Reducing the risk of foreign interference involves awareness, good business practices and doing basic checks that fit your business and the situation.

Check the businesses you deal with are trustworthy, including locally and overseas based partners, investors and suppliers.

There’s no single way to check overseas businesses. Information can be harder to verify, and what’s available depends on the country and the business relationship involved.

Most foreign companies conducting business in Australia need to register with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). If they don’t have an ASIC registration, you might be able to check their details with the public business register in their home country. You can also check information from industry bodies, online sources and overseas regulators.

If you’re in the tech industry, check out the Technology Foreign Interference Taskforce’s resources on Home Affairs' website.

Here are some other things you can do to reduce the risk of foreign interference:

• Do pre-employment checks, such as referee and police checks, especially for staff who will access sensitive information or systems.
• Set clear policies, procedures and processes and train staff to use them.
• Limit who can see and share business details, such as customer, personal, financial and commercial data.
• Do a foreign ownership, control or influence (FOCI) risk check when you buy technology products or services.
• Improve your cyber security to stop unauthorised people getting into your systems and devices.
• Train staff to spot the warning signs of foreign interference and tell you early.

Report any suspicious behaviour that could be foreign interference. Even small details can help the government spot patterns and stop harm.

• Call the National Security Hotline to report suspicious approaches.
• Make a report to the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) using the NITRO portal.
• Report a cybercrime, incident or vulnerability to the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC).