The 2015 federal budget, due to be announced tonight, will likely be characterised by cuts in a lot of areas, but in the year to come, the government is looking to beef up its counter-terrorism spending significantly.
Per reports this morning in Fairfax, Tony Abbott‘s government is set to commit a further $450 million to “national security and de-radicalisation programs”, pushing the total spend to well over $1 billion.
When speaking on the matter, Abbott said:
“To help combat terrorism at home and deter Australians from committing terrorist acts abroad, we need to ensure our security agencies are resourced properly and have the powers to respond to evolving threats and technological change. To deter terrorism we need to challenge the recruitment methods used by extremist organisations, particularly online.”
Reportedly, the budget will allocate $296 million to “strengthen the capabilities of our intelligence agencies, including updating information technology systems,” presumably with a focus on social media surveillance.
Following the introduction of new metadata laws in Australia, many have spoken out, raising concerns that they pave the way to a surveillance state. Most recently, Edward Snowden raised this concern.
At a recent press conference, the NSA whistleblower said:
“Australia’s role in mass surveillance around the world is similar to the UK and the Tempora program, which is what’s called a rolling internet proffer. Basically they use local authorities such as this metadata program that’s been passed in Australia to collect everyone’s communications in advance of criminal suspicion.”
Yesterday, the Prime Minister was criticised for his continued use of the phrase “death cult” to describe the Islamic State, with reports that he has described it as such 346 times since September.
Some have claimed that, as martyrdom is a key concept for the extremist group, the term effectively does their marketing for them, glamorising violence and acting as a “badge of honour” for one who might plan an attack.
There have been eight counter-terrorism operations in Australia since September, with 23 people charged. Last Friday, a raid in Melbourne led to the arrest of a 17-year-old, who is currently facing charges.
Abbott, for his part, has refused to apologise or back away, maintaining that ISIS is “a cult that rejoices in death.”
Photo: Tristan Fewings via Getty Images
