Positive vetting and university

[tartare]

Greetings comrades,
this is not an attempt to elicit classified information - genuine question.
Lad has started at a well know Orstrayan university doing a subject related to aviation while he waits to have another crack at the RAAF ASP.
Now - as we know - university is a time to widen one's horizons.
He came home the other night with a copy of the Red Crescent, or whatever the bloody socialist club's publication is - and announced he was thinking of going to their conference; to be held soon in another Australian city.
After recovering from spraying my gin all over my herringbone tweed jacket - I harrumphed, twisted my handlebar `tache and told him he needed to watch out for the ASIO spooks and informers who would be there too.
"In this time of Australio-Sino-Russo paranoia," said I, "...they're probably keeping reasonably close tabs on people."
"And your average spook is probably not too well versed in the differences between democratic socialism and the flavour of whatever's practised in China and Russia," I added.
"Wouldn't be a good look for you to front up wanting to fly something fast and pointy - only for you to be denied a secret clearance because you'd formally associated with those red oiks."
I also pointed out that the military tends to be, ahem, somewhat conservative in it's political viewpoint.
Mrs T agreed with me (one of the rare occasions).
Cue standard "Dad, you're a moron," teenager versus father argument...
So, am I being positive-vetting paranoid?
Maybe the spooks have enough on their plates catching potential domestic terrorists etc. and I should let the boy be.
The complexities of bringing up kids.
Oh, and hello in the Ben Chiffley building or Russell Offices if you lot are watching and listening...