Canberra, Apr 9: Australia’s spy agency chief has rejected the notion that authorities must focus counter-terrorism measures on right-wing extremists following the Christchurch attacks.
Fronting a Senate estimates hearing on Monday night, Duncan Lewis, director-general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), said that while Australia’s intelligence community would evaluate its priorities, he did not expect a “dramatic reset,” according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
“We are currently looking to see to what extent we may need to rebalance our own internal work,” he told the hearing, which allows senators to scrutinize how government departments are spending taxpayer funds.
“There’s no early evidence to me that there will be some dramatic reset around this.
“It won’t surprise you that after an incident such as Christchurch… we always go back to the drawing board to see if there are any adjustments that need to be made in our efforts.”
Australian authorities have come under pressure since 28-year-old Australian man Brenton Tarrant was charged with murder over the attacks on two Christchurch mosques in March.
UNI.
