Even more than most, ASPI I just a nakedly evil, warmonging US front for the weapons industry. Obviously it's whole purpose is to try and ignite a war with China, but it also helps with whatever evil propaganda the US needs it for. Remember the detailed BBC 'fact check' and investigation into Israel's first bombing of a hospital that basically bent over backwards to accommodate Israel's bullshit about it being a Hama rocket? Their "independent" rocket expect was an ASPI ghoul.

I haven't been following their falling out with the Australian government, but I'm guessing it's partly because more and more they've been showing their true face as a US velvet gloved fist and local politicians don't like being blackmailed by these yank ghouls. 20 years or so ago it was pretty much 100% Australian government funded. Now in both funding and form it's pretty much entirely the US government (some from Taiwan, lol) and Yank (& Brit, our hands are dirty as fuck too) weapons/surveillance contractors including Lockheed, Raytheon, BAE, Thales, Northrop, Microsoft, Google, & that old CIA firm Oracle.