Australia facing foreign interference level worse that Cold War: ASIO

ASIO has warned Australia is facing an unprecedented level of foreign interference and espionage, as the government looks to implement new laws.

Australia is facing an unprecedented level of foreign interference and espionage, worse than during the Cold War, ASIO is warning.

Appearing at a Senate committee examining proposed new laws to crack down on foreign interference and spying, officials said adversaries were generally known during the Cold War, whereas there is a raft of unknown players nowadays.

"Whilst (the Cold War) was obviously a very busy time in that particular period in history our assessment is it's not on the scale which we're experiencing today," deputy director general Peter Vickery told senators on Wednesday.