Counter Espionage Bureau
Australian Counter Espionage Bureau
January 1916 – February 1917
Renamed Special Intelligence Bureau in 1917.
Australia's first civil security intelligence body, watching enemy aliens, suspected spies and subversives during the First World War. It operated as the Australian branch of the British Imperial Counter Espionage Bureau.
Names over time
- Counter Espionage Bureau1916–1917
- Special Intelligence Bureau1917–1919
How it came into existence
Established in January 1916 at the request of the British Government as the Australian branch of the Imperial Counter Espionage Bureau, under George Steward, official secretary to the Governor-General. It had no Commonwealth predecessor.
How it ended
Succeeded in February 1917 by the Special Intelligence Bureau, which took over its counter-espionage work and added an emphasis on counter-subversion.
- Counter-espionage
- Surveillance of enemy aliens
Sources describe the bureau as created in 1917 to carry on the Counter Espionage Bureau's work rather than as a formal renaming.
Main functions
- Counter-espionage
- Surveillance of enemy aliens
- Monitoring of suspected subversives
- Liaison with British security intelligence
Where it sits
Last in the portfolio of Prime Minister's Department.
Lineage
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Sources
Some dates or links for this organisation are not fully confirmed. Corrections are welcome.