Senator Jenny McAllister on intelligence oversight and diversity in national security

In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Head of the ANU National Security College Professor Rory Medcalf is joined in conversation by Senator Jenny McAllister, in her first interview since being appointed as Deputy Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security.


Professor Rory Medcalf and Senator Jenny McAllister discuss her work as the Deputy Chair of the powerful Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, her pursuit of new intelligence oversight powers for the committee, and its inquiry into critical infrastructure. In the discussion, Senator McAllister reflects on the security of the upcoming federal election, the role of state governments in Australia’s national security, and the need for intelligence and security agencies to reflect the diversity of the communities they serve. Professor Medcalf and Senator McAllister also talk about Dr William Stoltz’s recent argument for a Minister for Intelligence and important research on Women in International Relations by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s Danielle Cave.


You can find the National Security Podcast interview with Senator McAllister’s colleague and Chair of the PJCIS Senator James Paterson here.


Senator Jenny McAllister is the Deputy Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security and Chair of the Senate Select Committee on Foreign Interference through Social Media. She was elected as a Senator for New South Wales in 2015.


Professor Rory Medcalf is Head of the National Security College at The Australian National University. His professional experience spans more than two decades across diplomacy, intelligence analysis, think tanks, and journalism.


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