It's the holidays and what better way to avoid the summer heat than hunkering down in front of the TV. We've got you covered with our recommendations for what the informed espio-philes are watching and what they are avoiding.

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2023 started with the continued war in Ukraine and ended with the growing crisis in Israel, and in between we brought you all the news fit to be placed on microfilm and stashed in a dead drop. This ep we look at how 2023 unfolded and what we might expect in 2024. And stick around for some halfheartedly delivered but genuinely heartfelt thanks to our listeners.

Glad you could join us in 2023!

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With the Opposition demanding the PM reveal any conversations he had with Xi Jinping regarding the HMAS Toowoomba incident this week we look at just what Australians can expect to be told by our intelligence services. Just how secretive are our spies? How much do we need to know about what they do? And who watches our watchmen?

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This week we are joined by Harry P Russell, former intelligence and law-enforcement operative, historian and author of a series of uniquely accurate and very enjoyable Australian spy fiction. We talk about his career in intelligence, his leap to fiction writing, and the terrible sense of betrayal he felt when he discovered he had been working with a Soviet mole. And just how did Harry wind up giving David his first job outside of ASIO? Book mark this ep!

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With revelations that the Pine Gap facility may be instrumental in Israel's operations in Gaza, we've decided to have a look at one of then most controversial military installations in Australia. What exactly does Pine Gap do? Who runs it and who has access to what it produces? Why is Australia so wedded to having it on our soil? And just what can a spy satellite see when it peeks into your backyard? Putting your phone into Privacy mode won't protect you from this week's ep!

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The recent Optus crash left 10 million Australian left struggling to stay in touch, we have a look at what happened. Was it a cyber attack or an errant piece of code? What vulnerabilities did it reveal in Australia's electronic infrastructure? How vulnerable are we to this kind of disaster? And is there anything that could be even more devastating? Have your bug out bag ready by the door with this week's ep!

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With a sudden surge in activity in the intelligence world, this week we are doing a sitrep on the current state of play. How did Netanyahu get his intelligence mavens offside? What effect is the ongoing crisis in Israel going to have on terrorist and cyber threats globally? What is going on in Danish intelligence? What's happening in the Australian intelligence world? And how long before Michelle can't take any more of David's terrible accents and becomes a disgruntled employee of this podcast? Sincere apologies to any of our Scandinavian listeners for this week's ep!

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The horrendous attack on Israel on October 7 by Hamas has seen the Levant plunge into crisis once more and the world hold its breath. Where did Israeli intelligence go wrong and how did Hamas keep such a large operation under wraps? How and why do intelligence failures occur, and why does it seem that intelligence organisations keep repeating these mistakes? And will David and Michelle managed to get through this episode without offending one side or the other? Hard times require hard conversations and this is one of those times.

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Our sincere apologies but due to a family crisis we are not able to bring you a new episode this week. So, why not go back to the ep where it all began...

Twitter: @ISpiedpodcast
A DM Podcast www.diamantina.com.au

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This week we conclude our interview with author, lawyer, soldier and whistleblower David McBride. What does he see as being the true crisis in the Australian Defence Department? What outcomes can he expect from his pending appointment with the courts? And does he have regrets for the action he took to expose systemic problems he saw with out military?

Don't miss this ep!

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