Spy chief appointed member of the Order of Australia

Ahead of receiving the honour, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Director-General of Security Mike Burgess paid tribute to the intelligence officers who report to him and work to "keep Australia safe" from threats like terrorism, espionage and foreign interference.

In a statement, Mr Burgess said it was important to acknowledge the "clever, dedicated officers who work tirelessly day and night without any public recognition ... often with enormous personal sacrifice, but cannot tell anyone about their achievements."

Australia's 14th ASIO Director-General, in the role since September 2019, said he had "always strived to make a difference".

"I am honoured to be appointed a Member of the Order of Australia, it is an enormous privilege. I am very proud of my career in the Australian intelligence community," he said.

"This award does not just honour me personally; I see it as a recognition of the crucial work done by the intelligence community more broadly."

Mr Burgess, who grew up in a working-class Adelaide family and studied electrical engineering, has spent more than three decades as an intelligence, security and technology professional, in both the public and private sectors. His experience includes code-making, code-breaking, cyber security, counter-terrorism and counter-espionage.

In February, the spy chief revealed while launching ASIO's annual threat assessment a retired politician had plotted to introduce a prime minister's family member to foreign spies.

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"Australians need to know that the [foreign interference] threat is real. The threat is now. And the threat is deeper and broader than you might think," he said.

Prior to joining ASIO, Mr Burgess was director-general of the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD), which he had first joined as a collection engineer in 1995.

After nearly 20 years at the agency, Mr Burgess moved to the Telstra where he worked in roles including as chief information security officer.

In 2018, then-prime minister Malcolm Turnbull asked him to return to ASD as director-general.

Mr Burgess has also served as a member of the Naval Shipbuilding Advisory Board, the prime minister's expert panel for Australia's 2016 Cyber Security Strategy and on a number of boards.