ASIO insists preventing deadly attacks is priority despite a greater portion of budget being used elsewhere

ASIO insists its priority remains preventing deadly attacks on Australians after the anti-Semitism Royal Commission revealed the proportion of resources that security agencies dedicated to counter-terrorism had “significantly” declined in recent years.

Last week an interim report from the inquiry established after the Bondi Beach attack confirmed funds provided to National Intelligence Agencies increased by 31 per cent between 2020 and 2025, to a total of $14.9 billion, with ASIO’s budget growing by 37 per cent.

“The Commission has observed that despite this overall increase, the proportion of funding allocated to counter-terrorism significantly declined across the National Intelligence Community over the period from 2020 to 2025,” the report stated.

It also noted statements since 2021 by ASIO Director General Mike Burgess that its focus had shifted from terrorism to foreign espionage and interference as the agency’s primary concern until 2024, when the terror threat level was returned to “probable”.

On Wednesday Mr Burgess was asked about the Commission’s findings while appearing at a press conference in Canberra alongside Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke and Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett.

“If you’re referring to the Royal Commission talking about the overall investment by the National Intelligence Community, in a thing called terrorism and violent extremism. Yes, that had reduced over the years,” Mr Burgess told reporters.

Mr Burgess also stressed that ASIO’s overall funding “had not reduced over a number of years” and noted that he would also be required to answer questions about the matter to the Royal Commission.

“ASIO’s job is to identify the threat and follow the threat so it can be understood and through the actions of my agency and our partners, the Australian Federal Police, State and Territory police, or policy actions of government, that threat is dealt with.”

Speaking inside AFP headquarters, the ASIO boss stressed that since being appointed as Director General of Security he and his agency had frequently called out threats to Australians.

“We lowered the threat level in November ‘22 we raised it in August ‘24, and the resources were adjusted accordingly with the threat levels. And I can assure you and anyone listening to this, that our resources apply to priorities and threat to life is a priority for my organisation.”

The Home Affairs Minister was also pressed on whether there would be any staff reductions inside ASIO or the AFP after his own department began offering voluntary redundancies last week.

“I’ll let agencies refer to anything with respect to their own agencies,” Mr Burke responded.

Last Tuesday Home Affairs Secretary Stephanie Foster announced to staff in a briefing that expressions of interest had opened for voluntary redundancies across the department, including at Australian Border Force.

Australian Federal Police members, and the association which represents them, have for months also warned about a funding crisis in the organisation and are worried that next month’s budget could contain further cuts.

Last year The Nightly also revealed an AFP “national surveillance team” set up under the Commonwealth High Risk Terrorist Offender regime was quietly disbanded just weeks before the deadly Bondi attack.

AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett has previously rejected suggestions counter-terrorism efforts had been downgraded in the weeks leading up to the December 14 shootings which 15 innocent lives.