FBI Director Slips into Australia for Secret High-Level Talks

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has confirmed he met with FBI Director Kash Patel during his low-key visit to Australia last week, following revelations Patel visited New Zealand to set up a new regional office.

The dinner meeting, held on July 27 in Sydney, also included Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw. It remained undisclosed until July 31 for “simple security reasons,” Burke told ABC Radio National.

“I certainly don’t issue a media release every time I talk to one of my counterparts,” he said.

“But the dinner was a really good discussion about the different ways we keep people safe.”

Burke said a wide scope of topics was discussed with Patel, from counterterrorism, foreign interference, to child protection.

“The cooperation is very real, very strong,” he said. While Burke denied any formal commitments were made during the dinner, he described the conversation as “warm and wide-ranging,” underscoring the strength of bilateral security ties.

He added, “The relationship with the United States provides an incredible basis for the people who work in our agencies to do their jobs every day to keep people safe.”

Australia, the United States, New Zealand, Canada, and the UK are all part of the Five Eyes grouping that shares top secret intelligence.

Setting Up New Zealand Office Aimed at Countering CCP Influence

Meanwhile, Patel’s trip to New Zealand was public and centred on the FBI’s strategic expansion in the Pacific, including the opening of a new regional office in Wellington.

FBI agents had quietly operated out of Wellington since 2017 under the Canberra office’s direction. With the new Wellington base, the bureau will now cover Antarctica, Samoa, Niue, the Cook Islands, and Tonga.

Patel, in a video later released by the U.S. Embassy, said countering threats such as cybercrime, espionage, and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) influence in the Pacific remains one of the FBI’s top regional priorities.

“Expanding the Wellington office demonstrates the strength and evolution of our partnership as we continue to work together to address our shared security objectives,” Patel said.

Greens Criticise Patel Meeting

The meeting between Burke and Patel drew criticism from Greens Senator David Shoebridge, who raised concerns over Patel’s political affiliations and past remarks.

“The minister, understandably, wanted his meeting with a defender of the January 6 rioters, kept secret,” he told ABC news.

But Burke dismissed the criticism, saying, “There will never be a day where I have to choose between building a relationship to keep Australians safe and making political points about another country.”

Despite no public appearances or press conferences in either country, Patel’s movements did not go unnoticed.

In New Zealand, journalists spotted his plane at the airport and FBI agents at the Beehive ministerial offices. Only after his departure did ministers acknowledge the visit.