The Australian Federal Police is spending less than 10% of its budget on counter-terrorism, and almost four times more protecting politicians and government buildings.
In written answers provided to the ongoing Royal Commission into anti-Semitism, the AFP stated it spent $152 million on Counter Terrorism in 2024-25, compared to $523 million on Protection, out of a total of $1.87 billion.
The statement noted increased funding for protection during the 2025 Federal election, and “for protection for high office-holders (initially provided as funding for protection of the Minister for Home Affairs, Defence Minister and Treasurer)”.
The second largest spend was $305 million on Transnational, Serious and Organised Crime (TSOC), followed by $279 million on ACT Policing and $164 million on International Missions.
Royal Commissioner Virginia Bell found in her interim report in April that while funding for national intelligence agencies has been increasing overall, the proportion spent on counter-terrorism had “significantly declined”.
Last year Prime Minister Anthony Albanese complained the “high temperate” of social media comments, and new AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett in October established National Security Investigations (NSI) teams to prevent “harm to social cohesion” that she has dubbed her “flying squad of hate disruptors”.
NSI teams carried out a series of high-profile raids for alleged social media posts and Nazi symbols posted online in November and early December while the Bondi Islamic terrorists were planning their massacre undetected, sparking intense criticism of AFP priorities after the attack.
But a week after the attack Labor gave the AFP funding to double the number of NSI teams, which over the past 11 months have charged 38 people for alleged offences related to politicians or public officials.
Then in April Labor MPs expressed fears for their safety due to “politically motivated threats”, prompting a budget bid from Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke for $150 million for monitoring of politicians’ social media accounts to “weed out ominous characters”.
Mr Albanese’s security has been beefed-up, and a growing number of politicians from both major parties have been given police details, while SAS officer-turned Liberal MP Andrew Hastie had his security increased in response to criticism from One Nation supporters, the AFR reported.
Header image: Mr Burke, Ms Barrett and Mr Albanese (PMO).
