ASPI chief to depart amid LaborChina policy tensions

ASPI executive director Justin Bassi will not seek a second term and will leave in 2027 after public clashes with the Albanese government over China policy. Labor critics say ASPI is hawkish and undermines efforts to stabilise Australia’s relationship with China, a view echoed by a 2024 Labor-commissioned review that recommended partisan input on ASPI’s board. Bassi condemned that review as interference on ASPI’s independence. With his departure, council chair Gai Brodtmann also left earlier this year, and former Labor senator David Feeney—appointed to ASPI’s board in 2025—has become acting chair, praising Bassi’s reforms as succession planning continues.