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The Reporter podcast: Spy Base Echelon

Gary Adshead’s 40-year journalism career has been spent pursuing the truth, no matter how ugly, dangerous – or ridiculous. From crooks and crimes to state secrets and heroic rescues, we take you behind the headlines.

This week on The Reporter podcast, Michael Thomson and Gary Adshead discuss the sensational story of one of the most secret spy bases in the world.

Imagine the reporter’s surprise when the head of the Defence Signals Directorate rang him out of the blue to talk about the listening station monitoring Chinese satellites and much more.

And when the reporter ran the name Echelon past the defence minister at the time, Kim Beazley, Mr Beazley responded with, “How do you know about that?”

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The Reporter: True Stories
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Previously
Echelon Gary Adshead reporter series Australian Defence Satellite Communications Station Kojarena

The truth is out there – at a spy base 400 kilometres north of Perth

The source was prepared to grant me 10 questions about the Kojarena base. I was to prepare them carefully – there would only be one chance to get them answered.

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