Federal budget 2022: Australia to launch National Convicted Terrorist Offender Register

Australia has launched a new terrorism strategy, warning the threat has “evolved” as large crowds start to gather again post Covid.

A national offenders register will be created to monitor convicted terrorists once they’ve left jail as part of a $86.7m funding commitment in next week’s federal budget which will support a new counter terrorism strategy in Australia.

Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews will on Thursday warn the threat of terrorism has “evolved” as people again start to gather in large crowds post Covid-19.

She will announce the new strategy while also revealing $66.9m in the upcoming budget will go towards implementing new powers passed in parliament last year that allow courts to impose strict rules and reporting obligations on convicted terrorists who finish their maximum jail term and are still deemed a high risk.

Another $19.8m will be invested into creating a National Convicted Terrorist Offender Register that will focus on more long-term monitoring of the criminals who can’t be deradicalised.

Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews will announce $86.7m to improve monitoring of terrorists whose maximum sentences expire. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

Ms Andrews said the new counter terrorism strategy came at a vital time because individuals, groups, and ideologies – both old and new – continued to plot and fantasise about doing Australians harm.

She warned Covid-19 disruptions had led to new conspiratorial narratives emerging.

“Some of which might provide false justification for violent activities,” she said.

“The threat of terrorism continues to evolve.

“In 2022, as we emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic and once more gather in crowds, we cannot be complacent about the terrorist threat.”

The new strategy – endorsed by all state and territory law enforcement ministers last week – notes Australia’s security environment is becoming more complex and challenging.

“The diversity and disaggregation of extremist beliefs is broad and not easily categorised,” the strategy says.

“They span nationalist, racist, revolutionary, anarchist, religious and specific issue ideologies, but they can all involve a propensity to violent acts.”

Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said the threat of terrorism was evolving. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

It warns social media has fuelled the spread of conspiracy theories and, in some cases, anarchist, racist and revolutionary beliefs.

“The most likely form of terrorism in Australia remains an attack by a lone actor or a small group using simple attack methodologies and rudimentary weapons,” it says.

It also notes Australia is now beginning to see the sentences of terrorists who were convicted over the last 20 years expire – meaning a continuing risk of religiously motivated violent extremism.

Ms Andrews said there was currently no Commonwealth, state or territory mechanisms to provide for long-term monitoring of terrorists once they were released into the community.

The new national offender register is being introduced to change this.

“Once established, the register will impose long-term reporting obligations on all Commonwealth terrorist offenders after the end of their custodial sentences,” Ms Andrews said.

This latest funding comes after the government announced $61.7m for Australia’s countering violent extremism programs last month.

$400M FOR QUEENSLAND INLAND FREIGHT ROUTE

Barnaby Joyce will announce a further $400m for a new inland freight route connecting North Queensland with NSW’s border.

It brings the federal funding for the 1184km north-south route from Charters Towers to Mungindi up to $800m.

That is the amount requested by the Queensland government, which has chipped in $200m.

Mr Joyce said it would deliver the upgrades needed to move trucks off the Bruce Highway and support the safe and efficient flow of goods and commodities from regional businesses to supermarkets and ports.

Barnaby Joyce will announce $400m in funding for the inland freight route. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

“Improving key freight routes will drive the growth of regional industries that produce wealth, like our mining and agriculture sectors,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.

“To become as strong as possible as quickly as possible, we must sell more of the products that make our country wealthy and strong.

“Slashing travel times for trucks means the valuable commodities they carry reach our ports quicker and we get paid sooner. That is how our nation becomes as strong as possible as quickly as possible.”