MEDIA STATEMENT
2 November 2026
As Deputy Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS), I am pleased to be joining Committee Chair Senator Raff Ciccone in Japan this week as part of a bipartisan parliamentary delegation focused on strengthening intelligence and national security cooperation between our two nations.
From 1 to 5 November, our delegation will meet with senior Japanese Government officials, parliamentarians, intelligence and security experts, and industry representatives to discuss the challenges facing our region and the important role parliamentary oversight plays in protecting national security.
Japan is currently undertaking significant reforms to its national intelligence and security framework, and Australia has valuable experience and expertise to share.
In recent years, Australia has strengthened its parliamentary and independent oversight arrangements, extending scrutiny across all ten agencies within our National Intelligence Community.
Through the PJCIS, we have developed a strong framework for ensuring our intelligence and security agencies have the powers and resources they need to keep Australians safe, while remaining subject to appropriate parliamentary scrutiny and accountability.
Our visit provides an important opportunity to share Australia’s experience with our Japanese counterparts as they consider how best to strengthen their own parliamentary intelligence and security oversight arrangements.
This is not about telling Japan how to run its intelligence agencies. It is about sharing what Australia has learned, discussing the challenges we have faced and helping our Japanese friends develop arrangements that work for their own parliamentary and democratic system.
As a former Speaker of the House of Representatives and now Deputy Chair of the PJCIS, I understand the importance of strong parliamentary institutions, particularly when it comes to matters of national security.
Intelligence agencies necessarily operate with a high degree of secrecy, but that makes effective parliamentary oversight all the more important in maintaining public confidence and ensuring accountability.
Australia and Japan share a deep commitment to democracy, the rule of law and a free, open and secure Indo-Pacific.
With an increasingly complex strategic environment, growing cyber threats, foreign interference and other national security challenges, cooperation between trusted partners has never been more important.
This visit also comes during the 50th anniversary year of the Australia-Japan Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, providing a timely opportunity to further strengthen our longstanding relationship.
I look forward to working alongside Senator Ciccone and our Japanese counterparts to share Australia’s experience, strengthen the relationship between our parliaments and deepen cooperation on intelligence and national security.
The first responsibility of any government is to keep its people safe, and by working closely with trusted partners like Japan, we can help make both our nations and our region more secure.
[ENDS]
Media Contact: Brendan West – 0402 556 646 – Brendan.west@aph.gov.au