{"id":75,"date":"2006-10-19T13:27:56","date_gmt":"2006-10-19T17:27:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/antipolygraph.org\/blog\/?p=75"},"modified":"2026-05-16T09:34:38","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T14:34:38","slug":"australian-security-intelligence-organisation-asio-rejects-polygraphs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antipolygraph.org\/blog\/2006\/10\/19\/australian-security-intelligence-organisation-asio-rejects-polygraphs\/","title":{"rendered":"Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) Rejects Polygraphs"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\n

In “Lie detectors to be left out of the spy game,” Simon Kearney reports for The Australian<\/em> on the decision by that country’s intelligence service to reject polygraph screening:<\/p>\n

\n

Lie detectors to be left out of the spy game<\/h3>\n

Simon Kearney
October 20, 2006<\/p>\n

AUSTRALIAN spy agencies have abandoned plans to introduce lie-detector tests after a three-year trial found them to be unreliable and likely to cause low morale among intelligence officers.<\/p>\n

Lie-detector tests are routinely used by US agencies such as the CIA, FBI and National Security Agency to weed out traitors.<\/p>\n

ASIO<\/a>‘s annual report reveals staff at the domestic spy agency submitted to polygraph tests on a voluntary basis in a trial carried out between 2000 and 2003.<\/p>\n

ASIO found polygraphs were not compatible with the professional culture in Canberra’s intelligence community and also raised several “technical difficulties” thought to be related to the notorious unreliability of polygraphs.<\/p>\n

A spokesman for Attorney-General Philip Ruddock<\/a> said that, as a result of the trial’s findings, using polygraph machines to test the integrity of Australian spies was no longer on the agenda.<\/p>\n

“We have no intention of adopting polygraphs,” he said.<\/p>\n

The trial was ordered by former attorney-general Daryl Williams in 2000 after a review of internal security carried out by former inspector-general of intelligence and security Bill Blick recommnded staff be subject to psychological testing.<\/p>\n

Mr Blick reviewed security across Australia’s six intelligence and security agencies after the arrest in Washington of Defence Intelligence Organisation officer Jean-Philippe Wispelaere, who had attempted to sell secret satellite images to Singapore in 1999.<\/p>\n

The recommendations of the ASIO trial – that the tests not become an internal security policy – were put to federal cabinet, which agreed.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

To discuss this article, see the AntiPolygraph.org message board thread, Aussies Throw Out Polygraph<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In “Lie detectors to be left out of the spy game,” Simon Kearney reports for The Australian on the decision by that country’s intelligence service to reject polygraph screening: Lie detectors to be left out of the spy game Simon KearneyOctober 20, 2006 AUSTRALIAN spy agencies have abandoned plans to introduce lie-detector tests after a …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-75","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-polygraph","anons"],"yoast_head":"\nAustralian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) Rejects Polygraphs - AntiPolygraph.org News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/antipolygraph.org\/blog\/2006\/10\/19\/australian-security-intelligence-organisation-asio-rejects-polygraphs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) Rejects Polygraphs - 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