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Greens seek spying watchdog inquiry

The Greens will ask the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security to investigate the Australian spying allegations.

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Source: AAP


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The Australian Greens will ask the intelligence service watchdog to investigate allegations Australian spy agencies hacked the personal phones of the Indonesian president and other top officials.

Greens senator Scott Ludlam said he would write to the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, Vivienne Thom, asking her to investigate how the spying was allowed to occur and whether it still continues.

"It's time we had a serious conversation in Australia about how the agencies ... came to be trained on the friendly heads of state in our region, their wives, and the senior leadership team of Indonesia," he told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday.

The relationship between the two nations is in turmoil after it was revealed the Defence Signals Directorate in 2009 targeted the mobile numbers of the Indonesia leader Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his wife, as well as eight others in the president's inner circle.

Indonesia has recalled its ambassador over the revelations and President Yudhoyono has lashed out at the response of Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

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In a tweet, he accused Mr Abbott of playing down the allegations.

Greens leader Christine Milne said "trying to brush it away" was only going to escalate the diplomatic row with Indonesia.

"It now seems that the diplomacy of our two countries is being conveyed by tweet."


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