Games, chat groups targeted in terror crackdown
Spies will scour gaming platforms and social media for extremist content in a bid to disrupt terrorist activity across Australia.
The federal budget will also include funding for the establishment of a national center for online counter-terrorism work, to be run jointly by spy agency ASIO and the federal police.
The $74 million program will see specialist counter-terrorism investigators and analysts monitor high-risk online spaces, Home Secretary Tony Burke said in a statement.
“We already have centers dedicated to protecting children and tackling cybercrime; establishing a center for online violence, extremism and terrorism is the next logical step in a rapidly advancing threat landscape,” he said.
“The ability we always had to monitor extremists in the boardroom now extends to the chat room.”
Spy agencies are increasingly concerned that young people are being radicalized online and are often targeted in seemingly innocuous spaces such as gaming platforms and chat groups.
27 people have been charged with crimes since laws cracking down on the online distribution of extremist material come into force in 2024.
15 of them were 17 years of age or younger.
The funding is part of an $80 million package to be spent over two years to support Australia’s counter-terrorism threats and prevent violent extremism and youth radicalization.
The cash splash follows the massacre of Jews celebrating Hanukkah at Bondi Beach on December 14, 2025, Australia’s worst terrorist attack.
The interim report of the Royal Commission into Anti-Semitism and Social Cohesion, announced in the wake of the mass shooting, recommended a review of Australia’s counter-terrorism network, including leadership structures, team integration, systems access and information sharing arrangements.
Australia’s Associated Press is the beating heart of Australian news. AAP is Australia’s only independent national news channel and has been providing accurate, reliable and fast-paced news content to the media industry, government and corporate sector for 85 years. We inform Australia.
