History of Australian intelligence and security

Before World War I

The Australian Government assumed responsibility for national security and intelligence at Federation in 1901. However, there was no single agency responsible for these areas and considerable overlap between civilian and military authorities.

Wartime security

During World War I, the government created security and intelligence agencies to deal with perceived threats within Australia.

The British Government established an Australian branch of the Imperial Counter Espionage Bureau in January 1916. Known as the Australian Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB), it maintained a close relationship with the police forces.

The Commonwealth Police Force was created in 1917. In 1919, the Commonwealth Police Force and the Special Intelligence Bureau merged to form the Investigation Branch (IB).

The Investigation Branch was responsible for wartime security until 1941. These functions were then taken over by a wartime organisation: the Commonwealth Security Service (CSS).

The army was also responsible for some aspects of wartime security, including:

the internment of enemy aliens
censorship
internal security in the Northern Territory and northern Western Australia.

Records about wartime security

The National Archives holds records about wartime security from the following agencies:

Special Intelligence Bureau (CA 746)
Commonwealth Police Force (CA 2919)
Attorney-General's Department (CA 5)
Investigation Branch (CA 747)
Commonwealth Security Service (CA 660)
Headquarters, 3rd Military District (CA 1841)
Directorate of Military Intelligence (CA 3275)
Department of the Army (CA 36)

Key wartime security records in our collection include:

Correspondence files, 1916-53 (series A367). Includes files from the Special Intelligence Bureau, Investigation Branch and Commonwealth Investigation Service
Correspondence files, 1941-48 (series A373). Includes files from the Commonwealth Security Service, Investigation Branch and Commonwealth Investigation Service
Correspondence files, 1916-60 (series A8911). Includes files from the Special Intelligence Bureau, Investigation Branch and Commonwealth Investigation Service
Intelligence reports on enemy trading and other suspicious actions, 1916-19 (series MP95/1)
Reports to General Staff Officer (Military Intelligence) Southern Command relating to investigations made on behalf of the Army, 1939-42 (series MT269/8)
General correspondence files, with 'WP' (War Precautions) prefix, 1939-42 (series A11797). From the Investigation Branch.

Security intelligence

Security intelligence is information collected to protect Australia from activities such as:

espionage
sabotage
politically motivated violence
acts of foreign interference.

The Investigation Branch was responsible for security intelligence until after World War II. It investigated people and organisations whose activities were considered subversive or detrimental to the security of Australia. This included foreign nationals and social and political groups such as the Communist Party of Australia and the New Guard.

The new Commonwealth Investigation Service (CIS) took over security intelligence functions in 1946. But by late 1947, serious security leaks in Australia had left British and US intelligence authorities unwilling to continue sharing information.

These concerns (and other security issues) led to the establishment of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) in 1949. ASIO became responsible for security functions that previously belonged to the Commonwealth Investigation Service.

Records about security intelligence

The National Archives holds records from the following security intelligence agencies:

Investigation Branch (CA 747)
Commonwealth Investigation Service (CA 650)
Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (CA 1297)

Key security intelligence records from the Investigation Branch and Commonwealth Investigation Service can be found in:

Correspondence files, 1916-53 (series A367). Includes files from the Investigation Branch and Commonwealth Investigation Service
Correspondence files, D series, 1926-45 (series A369). Includes files from the Investigation Branch.
Correspondence files, 1941-48 (series A373). Includes files from the Investigation Branch and Commonwealth Investigation Service.
Personal and subject files, 1919-46 (series A402). Includes files from the Investigation Branch.
Correspondence files, 1916-60 (series A8911). Includes files from the Investigation Branch and Commonwealth Investigation Service.
Correspondence files, 1918 onwards (series A1533). Includes files from the Commonwealth Investigation Service.

For security intelligence records from 1949, please refer to ASIO records.

Foreign intelligence

Foreign intelligence agencies are responsible for collecting secret intelligence overseas.

In the late 1940s, the Australian Government established a special operations organisation in the Department of Defence. In 1952, this became the Australian Secret Service.

The organisation was transferred to the Department of External Affairs in 1954 and renamed the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS).

Records about ASIS

ASIS only transfers records to the National Archives in response to requests from researchers. For security reasons, only a few records are available for public access in the National Archives. However, researchers can request access to ASIS records in the same way as any other government record.

Information about the establishment and general activities of ASIS can also be found in records created by the Department of Defence and the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.

For ASIS records held in the National Archives, see:

Australian Secret Intelligence Service (CA 5582)
Folders of selected copies of correspondence, 1950 onwards (series A7133)

Signals intelligence

Signals intelligence agencies collect and analyse information from intercepted electronic communications.

Australia began its signals intelligence activities in 1942, when the Australian Army and RAAF created Central Bureau with the US Army. The same year, the Royal Australian Navy and US Navy created Fleet Radio Unit, Melbourne (FRUMEL). Both agencies were set up to obtain intelligence by intercepting Japanese military communications.

In 1947, the Australian Government established a permanent signals intelligence agency in the Department of Defence. Initially called the Defence Signals Bureau, it changed its name to the Defence Signals Branch in 1949, the Defence Signals Division in 1964 and the Defence Signals Directorate in 1978.

The agency was renamed the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) in 2013.

Four women in uniform seated at desks operating code machines.

World War Two – Fleet Radio Unit Melbourne (FRUMEL), Code Room. NAA: A10909, 3.

Records about signals intelligence

Australian Signals Directorate

ASD only transfers records to the National Archives in response to requests from researchers. For security reasons, only a few records are available for public access in the National Archives. However, researchers can request access to ASD records in the same way as any other government record.

ASD records that have been transferred to the National Archives are found in:

Australian Signals Directorate (CA 6966)
Correspondence files, 1947 onwards (series A11401)

Central Bureau and FRUMEL

The National Archives only holds a few records created by Central Bureau and FRUMEL:

Central Bureau (CA 6999)
Fleet Radio Unit, Melbourne (CA 7137)

Most of the records from these agencies were repatriated to the United States and are held in the US National Archives.

Department of Defence

Information about Australia's signal intelligence agencies can also be found in the records of the Department of Defence (CA 46).

Intelligence assessment and analysis

In 1947 the Department of Defence established the Joint Intelligence Bureau (JIB) to collate, evaluate and distribute intelligence on particular countries.

JIB was renamed the Joint Intelligence Organisation (JIO) in 1969 and then the Defence Intelligence Organisation (DIO) in 1989.

In 1977, an additional intelligence analysis agency, the Office of National Assessments (ONA), was created in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. ONA was renamed the Office of National Intelligence (ONI) in 2018.

Records about intelligence assessment and analysis

The agencies only transfer records to the National Archives in response to requests from researchers. For security reasons, only a few records are available for public access in the National Archives. However, researchers can request access to intelligence records in the same way as any other government record.

We have some records from the following agencies:

Joint Intelligence Bureau (CA 1566)
Joint Intelligence Organisation/Defence Intelligence Organisation (CA 1533)
Office of National Intelligence (CA 2567)

DIO/ONI records transferred to the National Archives can be found in:

Joint Intelligence Organisation Reports on Portuguese Timor and Indonesian Timor, 1975 (series A13685)
Joint Intelligence Organisation Reports, 1979 onwards (series A14036)
NIC - Assessments, 1973 onwards (series A13797)
ONI reports, 1977 onwards (series A13952)

Additional material from these agencies can be found in files of:

defence agencies
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Law enforcement

The Commonwealth Police Force was created in 1917 to enforce federal laws and conduct investigations independently of state police forces. 2 years later it was merged into the Investigation Branch.

A new Commonwealth Police Force was formed in 1960. It took on the responsibilities of the Commonwealth Investigation Service (CIS) that were not transferred to ASIO as well as broader law enforcement responsibilities.

The force has had several name changes, becoming the Australia Police in 1975 before reverting to the Commonwealth Police Force the same year. In 1979 it was renamed the Australian Federal Police.