Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he is worried about the dangers of young people being radicalised online after police shot dead a 16-year-old boy who allegedly stabbed a man in Perth.
The shooting occurred just three weeks after a 16-year-old boy in Sydney was charged with terror offences for allegedly stabbing a bishop during a live-streamed church service, and amid a discussion about the role of the internet in encouraging violence against women.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was concerned online algorithms were pushing young people towards more extreme content. Credit: Alex Ellinguasen
The Perth boy, who police said was shot after rushing at officers with a large kitchen knife in a Bunnings car park and stabbing a member of the public, had been participating in a government-funded deradicalisation program based on the work of federal youth minister and former academic Anne Aly.
Western Australian Premier Roger Cook said there were indications the 16-year-old “had been radicalised online” and the state’s police commissioner, Col Blanch, said the stabbing “certainly has all the hallmarks” of a terrorism-related incident.
But Blanch said he had not yet designated the incident as terrorism because he believed the boy acted alone, and he did not require further resources.
The teen, a Caucasian male who had converted to Islam, called police and told them he was going to commit violent acts, but did not tell the phone operator who or where he was.
Albanese said he was concerned by the influence of social media platforms “where people can be pushed through the use of algorithms … towards more extreme positions”.
“It is a dynamic that isn’t just an issue for government, it is an issue for our entire society, whether it be violent extremism, misogyny and violence against women.
“It is an issue that of course I am concerned about, it is something that authorities are concerned about, but it is something that parents are concerned about as well in schools and on the sidelines of footy games or netball games or whatever sport is played on the weekend.”
Asked whether the definition of terrorism needed to be examined, Albanese said it was “the right time to back our police” after the incident.
“My first thoughts are with the victim of this incident but also to applaud the very swift action of WA Police in acting here, to also acknowledge the very important work that the Muslim community did to alert police to the messages that had been sent out by this young man,” he said.
Albanese said he was “very concerned” by risks to social cohesion in Australia, including the rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia since the October 7 attacks in Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza.
WA Police Minister Paul Papalia said the teen had been participating in a Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) intervention program funded by the Commonwealth and implemented by states and territories.
The CVE scheme was based on the work of Aly, who published dozens of research papers on extremism, terrorism and radicalisation before entering politics.
Aly said in a statement that such programs were “an important community safety measure” and should continue to be implemented.
“They are often successful but no program can guarantee success,” she said.
“It’s the sensitive nature of these programs that we often only hear about them when they don’t succeed.
“I commend and thank the WA police for the positive way they have worked with the Muslim community on this matter.”
Papalia said it was a “really tough task” to change people’s views, adding: “None of the programs that have been attempted anywhere have been universally successful.”
“The challenge we confront with people like the 16-year-old in this incident is that he’s known to hold views that are dangerous and potentially he could be radicalised,” he told ABC Radio Perth.
“He’d been engaged in a program countering violent extremism for two years, but the problem with individuals like this is they can act at short notice without warning and be very dangerous.”
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