Islamist terror our main threat, says ASIO

Right-wing terrorism is a ‘small but significant’ part of our extremist threat, but is dwarfed by that posed by Islamic radicals.

ASIO director-­general Mike Burgess. Picture: Kym Smith

Right-wing terrorism has emerged as a “small but significant” part of the extremist threat in Australia, but is dwarfed by the threat posed by Islamic radicals, ASIO says.

Almost a year after Australian gunman Brenton Tarrant killed 51 people in a right-wing terrorist attack on two Christchurch mosques, ASIO director-­general Mike Burgess has given an insight into the scale of the problem in Australia.

“Sunni Islamist extremism remains the primary source of domestic terrorist threat in Australia,’’ he told a parliamentary committee. “Individuals who adhere to an extreme right-wing ideology currently constitute a small but significant proportion of ASIO’s counter-terrorism investigative cohort.’’

Mr Burgess said ASIO managed its resources based on an assessment of the threat posed by various groups or individuals, not the ideology they espoused.

“ASIO has been focused on (right-wing extremism) for many decades and has maintained continuous and dedicated resources to this area,’’ he said.

In March, Tarrant attacked Christchurch’s Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre in a shooting spree that killed 51 Muslims as they attended Friday prayers.

Tarrant’s connection to online right-wing ideology and far-right movements in Europe and Australia prompted ferocious debate about the extent to which such groups had made headway in Australia.

The Christchurch attack also raised questions about whether Australia’s security agencies and police forces had devoted enough resources to monitoring the threat posed by right-wing radicals, and whether the focus on Islamic-inspired violence had resulted in a lack of focus.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton said in April right-wing groups in Australia had for the most part eschewed violence, preferring instead “rhetoric and ideology’’.

He said the small number of right-wing groups in Victoria had made what seemed to be a tactical decision to avoid violence, apparently on the grounds that it would be counterproductive to the cause.

“Fortunately, the approach groups have taken in Australia to date has been not to engage in acts of violence, preferring a more rhetorical and ideological-based approach,’’ Mr Ashton said.

NSW Police Force Assistant Commissioner Mick Willing said right-wing extremists, like Sunni radicals, appeared to be organising entirely online.

“We have no evidence there are physical meetings or clubs as such,’’ he said.

While right-wing groups remain a relatively small part of the terror picture in Australia, ASIO has warned that right-wing groups had become more organised. “Any future extreme right-wing-inspired attack in Australia would most likely be low-capability and conducted by a small actor or small group,” it said, “although a sophisticated weapons attack is possible.’’