The number of Australian passports refused or cancelled because of security reasons has more than doubled in the last financial year, Australia's domestic spy agency says.
The annual report from the Australian Security and Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) has revealed that 45 Australian passports were either refused or cancelled on security grounds in the 2013/14 financial year.
The "substantial" increase compares to 18 in the previous 12 months, and seven in the 2011/12 financial year, the ASIO Annual Report, tabled in parliament on Monday, said.
ASIO said the increase in adverse security assessments was "almost entirely attributable to the Syrian conflict".
The report also warned of an increase in the range, scale and sophistication of "hostile cyber espionage activity against Australian Government and private sector systems" in 2013/14.
"A range of foreign governments interfere in Australia's affairs in clandestine and deceptive ways designed to support or advance their interests," ASIO said.
The national agency has warned that espionage is hard to detect and there is a potential for hackers backed by foreign governments to access large amounts of valuable information.
It said foreign interference in Australia is pervasive and ongoing, and affects community groups, businesses and academic institutions.
"Critical to countering this persistent and highly damaging threat are holistic, well-established and widely adopted security practices and policies," the report said.
