New intelligence hub tackling online radicalisation

Detailed summary

ASIO and the federal police will be brought under the one roof at a centre dealing with online terrorism and radicalisation threats.

National intelligence agencies will be brought together under one roof to tackle radicalisation and terrorism threats online.

A Counter Terrorism Online Centre will be opened in Sydney on Friday, which will track national security threats and extremism from a single hub.

The centre will combine ASIO and the Australian Federal Police to monitor radicalisation and online terrorism threats.

The federal government set aside $74 million in May's federal budget to set up the centre.

The intelligence hub will also be a single-entry point for overseas agencies to provide information about potential national security threats taking place online.

It will also work with law enforcement agencies as part of investigations.

ASIO director-general Mike Burgess said the extra facilities were needed to counter growing levels of online extremism.

"In a security environment where radicalisation increasingly occurs online, and extremists increasingly engage with each other in encrypted chat groups, ASIO and our partners must be online too," he said.

"Online operations are often the only way we can identify and engage with these individuals to understand their intent, capability, identity and targets."

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