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According to the CIA's charter, agents cannot conduct secret operations in the UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand without host government approval. In 1972, Australia elected a labor government, which caused concern for the US due to their withdrawal from Vietnam, support for Palestinian rights, and proposal of an Indian Ocean zone of peace. The possibility of closing American military bases, including Pine Gap, worried the CIA. Australia's intelligence agency, ASIO, illegally shared dossiers on Labour Party members, union leaders, and peace activists with the CIA. A slush fund was created to provide money to opposition parties, and forged documents were used to implicate Labour Party members in scandals. The complicit Australian media, led by Rupert Murdoch, fueled discontent.