Spies will scour gaming platforms and social media for extremist content in a bid to clamp down on terrorist activity across Australia.
The federal budget will include funding to set up a national centre for online counter-terrorism work, to be jointly run by spy agency ASIO and federal police.
The $74 million program will have specialist counter-terror investigators and analysts monitor high-risk online spaces, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said in a statement.
“We already have centres dedicated to protecting children and combating cyber crime; establishing a centre for online violence extremism and terrorism is the next logical step in a fast-moving threat environment,” he said.
“The capability we’ve always had to monitor extremists in the meeting room now extends to the chat room.”
Spy agencies are becoming increasingly concerned about young people being radicalised online – often targeted in seemingly innocuous spaces like gaming platforms and chat groups.
Since laws cracking down on the distribution of extremist material online took effect in 2024, 27 people have been charged with offences.
Of those, 15 were aged 17 years or under.
The funding is part of an $80 million package to be spent over two years, bolstering Australia’s counter-terrorism threats and striving to prevent violent extremism and youth radicalisation.
The cash splash follows Australia’s worst terrorist attack – the massacre of Jews celebrating Hanukkah at Bondi Beach on December 14, 2025.
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 its leadership structures, team integration, systems access and information-sharing arrangements.
