Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee, , 5:16:55 to 5:19:35
Discussion on budget increases and resource allocation for counter-terrorism and countering violent extremism functions within the Department of Home Affairs between financial years.
Topics: Government spending, National security
Speakers: Brendan Dowling, Hon Jonathon Duniam
Okay. Um the issue around the allocation of resources uh devoted to national security, uh, particularly counter-terrorism. Between that period and there's been a lot of discussion around whether funding levels or resources have increased, decreased or been spread differently. Between when the terror level was lifted to probably in August of 2024 and the events at Bondine 2025. What is I mean, did funding increase or resources increase uh for counter-terror activities, or was it the same across that period?
Um Senator, uh we most of our financial records go to financial years, so the the exact time frames um uh aren't um uh don't match to those events necessarily.
Um 24-25 financial year is reasonably close.
So and as I think um uh you flagged, uh there is movements in and out of function, which means it's quite difficult to compare over periods, but I I can say for the Department of Home Affairs counter-terrorism and counterviolent extremism function um over that period between 24-25 and 25-26. Uh the divisional or the centre's budget um increased uh and the staffing level remained um relatively similar over that period.
Okay. And so the funding increased, but staffing levels remained relatively static. So what did the additional funding go to in that period of time?
So over that period we had the announcement of the counter-terrorism and countering violent extremism strategy in January 2025. Yes, I believe. Um some activities under that strategy were funded for the department to deliver. So we attracted some additional funding uh for those programs, including around countering violent extremism work, engagement with online uh uh uh platforms uh over that period. I believe the special fund relating to activities of the Australian New Zealand Counter-Terrorism Committee also uh increased on the flip side, I think some of the functions relating to high-risk terrorist offenders moved uh in the department, so there was some ins and outs, but an overall net uh increase to the budget.