News
New AIC research on the cost of espionage
Link to: The cost of espionage
Based on research conducted in partnership with the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, the Australian Institute of Criminology has released a Special Report that estimates the costs of espionage impacting Australia.
- In 2023–24, espionage cost Australia at least $12.5 billion. This includes the direct costs of the consequences of known or probable espionage activity – primarily losses due to state or state-sponsored cyber-attacks, insider threats and intellectual property theft – as well as the public and private sector response, remediation and mitigation costs.
- There are also tens of billions in additional costs that Australia may have prevented by countering potential espionage – costs that may be incurred in future if appropriate action is not taken to address the threat from those who seek to harm Australia’s national interests.
- These numbers are conservative and an underestimate of the true cost, given the challenges in identifying and measuring espionage activity and its consequences.
While this report highlights the importance of taking action to prevent espionage to protect Australia’s national interests, it also draws attention to the need for further work to help us better understand the impact that espionage has on government, businesses, universities and the wider community.
Additional information is also available from the ASIO website: https://www.asio.gov.au/coe
Copyright © 2025 Australian Institute of Criminology, All rights reserved.
Global launch of landmark WHO Report: Corporal Punishment of Children: 20 August 2025
Date: Wednesday 20 August 2025 14.00 – 15.00 CEST
Join the World Health Organization (WHO) for the global launch of its landmark report recognising corporal punishment of children as a public health concern.
This Report, the first in the WHO’s 78-year history, demonstrates overwhelming scientific evidence that corporal punishment - the most commonly experienced, and most socially accepted, form of violence against children - harms health and has no benefits for children, parents, or societies.
This interactive 60-minute event will present the public health case for action alongside personal, practitioner and political perspectives on affording children the same protection from assault as adults.
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IATSO Conference: Successes and failures in preventing sexual violence – Empirical findings, new concepts, and intercultural perspectives
August 26th to August 29th, 2025
in Poznań, Poland
On behalf of the Scientific and Local Organizing Committees, we would like to invite you to the 18th conference of the International Association for the Treatment of Sexual Offenders (IATSO) in Poznań. The conference takes place from August 26th to August 29th, 2025 at the Adam Mickiewicz University (UAM).
This time, we would like to highlight that the assessment, treatment and research about individuals who have committed sexual offenses are highly impacted by various context variables. One layer of the context is public policy. Our actions are often criticized by policy makers or the general public and they may be under heavy pressure. Public policies related to sexual violence require our participation but they are also evaluated by research efforts. Other layers of the context include cultural differences, knowledge gathered in various academic fields (such as psychology, law, medicine or general sexology) and requirements of the organizations within which we operate (eg. prison service or university).
Taking these and other layers of the context into consideration, it becomes visible how complex the task of preventing sexual violence is. However, we believe that facing this complexity is a way to undersand our successes and failures and make our work more effective.
