The nation's oldest university is being probed over its Confucius Institute,with the case looming as a key test for the foreign influence transparency scheme.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and universities are pushing back at federal plans to veto agreements with foreign governments if they run counter to Australia's interests.
ASIO and police have not used powers to hack into encrypted messages,as tech companies have voluntarily allowed them into their systems.
The nation's domestic spy chief says he is offended by a Law Council of Australia comparison between aspects of a bill giving his organisation expanded questioning powers and China's national security law imposed on Hong Kong.
Security agencies that want access to encrypted messages would be forced to go before a retired judge under a major proposed overhaul of encryption laws.
The chief of ASIO has criticised tech companies for resisting requests by police and security agencies to access information in cyberspace.
Australia's domestic intelligence agency will have the power to forcibly question foreign spies and 14-year-olds under new laws introduced to Parliament.
Australia's register of terrorist groups would be reviewed under a Labor plan to catch right-wing extremist organisations which have so far evaded the list.
Conservative Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells is claiming ASIO is upsetting conservatives by warning about the rise of right-wing extremists.
When he took to the stage on Monday to deliver his first national threat assessment,ASIO boss Mike Burgess marked a new era for the spy agency.
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton says if security agencies believe they need further clarity around their powers"then we will look at that".