ASIO director-general Mike Burgess has described the politicisation of national security as "not helpful", hours after Prime Minister Scott Morrison withdrew a reference to Labor frontbencher Richard Marles as a "Manchurian candidate".
The ASIO boss said foreign interference was an issue for both major parties and other nations did not discriminate between party lines.
"The foreign interference is against all members of parliament, so it doesn't go after one particular party or the other," he told 7.30.
"So it's kind of equal opportunity in that regard."
When asked if politicians using the topic as a "weapon" made ASIO's job harder, Mr Burgess said it was a hindrance.
"ASIO is apolitical. My staff are apolitical. They put their lives on the line to protect Australia," he said.
Earlier in Question Time, the Prime Minister was forced to withdraw a reference to Labor frontbencher Mr Marles as a "Manchurian candidate", an insult used to describe someone as a puppet acting on behalf of an enemy power.
Senior ministers have spent the week attacking Labor’s record on national security and arguing — without substantial evidence — that the Chinese Communist Party would prefer Anthony Albanese and Labor win the federal election.
Towards the end of an answer attacking Labor’s record on national security in Question Time, Mr Morrison said, "We’ve got another Manchurian Candidate", in reference to Mr Marles.
Speaker Andrew Wallace said he did not hear the comment spoken into the microphone but, after condemnation from Labor MPs, the Prime Minister withdrew the remark.
Mr Morrison had been referring to a speech given by Mr Marles at the Beijing Foreign Studies University in 2019, where he said Australia should embrace closer military cooperation with China.
In response, Mr Marles accused the government of undermining the "dignity of the house", and said the idea of defence cooperation started with the Coalition.
Fears bipartisanship on national security being undermined
Other national security experts have expressed concern about the tone of the national security debate heading into the election, also noting that, in reality, there is little difference between the two party's policies.
"It’s all pretty unfortunate, unedifying, and frankly not healthy for the Australian national interest and it risks undermining a lot of the bipartisanship that I think both sides have built up over the past five years or more," said the head of Australian National University's National Security College, Rory Medcalf.
Mr Medcalf also encouraged people to ignore an opinion piece by former Australian diplomat and Coalition critic Bruce Haigh that endorsed Mr Albanese, which was published in the state-controlled Chinese newspaper The Global Times.
"The very timing of a ridiculous article in a Chinese propaganda newspaper — that amplifies the idea that, somehow, the Labor Leader is China’s preferred candidate [for Prime Minister] — suggests that discord is part of China’s playbook,” Mr Medcalf told the ABC.
"We absolutely should ignore it because, if you think about the value in advertising in propaganda terms, the Australian parliament and the Australian media amplifying a second-rate opinion piece in a Chinese propaganda newspaper, then that very small act has had a major effect."
Liberal MP Ted O'Brien made reference to the article in parliament on Tuesday.
"I am also concerned that the Chinese Communist Party's mouthpiece, The Global Times, has now endorsed Anthony Albanese as our next prime minister," he said.
On Twitter, Labor MP Julian Hill said Mr Morrison's insult played "right into the hands of authoritarian leaders".
"Scott Morrison is now doing Beijing’s bidding. Desperately politicising national security, spreading lies, creating division for his own political purposes," he wrote.
Labor frontbencher Ed Husic accused the Coalition of running a scare campaign to distract attention away from a difficult two weeks in parliament.
"I think what we saw today was classic panic," Mr Husic told the ABC.
"[Scott Morrison] is under huge pressure. We have a national crisis in aged care. He stuffed up the vaccine rollout, empty grocery shelves, all this leaking out of cabinet that is happening and even his own colleagues [undermining] him."
