ASIO boss Mike Burgess lowers national terror level from 'probable' to 'possible'

ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess said the decision had not been taken lightly, but has been based on wide-ranging intelligence and security assessments that domestic terror threats, particularly religiously motivated violent extremists, had "dissipated, not disappeared".

This includes any risk from the Albanese government's decision to repatriate the families of Islamic State fighters from detention camps in Syria.

"While Australia remains a potential terrorist target, there are fewer extremists with the intention to conduct an attack onshore than there were when we raised the threat level in 2014," Mr Burgess said during a briefing at ASIO headquarters in Canberra.

"This does not mean the threat is extinguished. Far from it. 'Possible' does not mean 'negligible'."

Australia's terror threat level had been increased to "probable" eight years ago as a response to Al-Qaeda offshoot Islamic State forming a caliphate in the Middle East, seducing "significant numbers" of Australians to its radical ideology and terrorist actions.

"Since 2014 there had been 11 terrorist attacks on Australian soil, and 21 significant plots had been detected and disrupted," the ASIO boss said.

"There have been no attacks or major disruptions this year."

Lone wolf actors remains the most likely terror attack in Australia through easily acquired weapons such as knives and cars and Sunni violent extremism remains the greatest terrorism concern, but ASIO has assessed the threat from religiously motivated violent extremists as moderating.

"The offshore networks, capabilities and allure of groups such as ISIL and Al-Qaeda have been degraded, with their support in Australia declining accordingly - but I stress: it's dissipated, not disappeared," Mr Burgess warned.

"While ASIO considered all these factors when deciding to lower the terrorism threat level, I can almost guarantee it will need to go up again at some point in the future."

At the same time, right-wing nationalist and racist extremist online content, fuelled by COVID-19 pandemic grievances, is recruiting and radicalising Australians, as well as pushing conspiracy theories and anti-authority ideologies.

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There is also particular concern over the radicalisation of minors, particularly through the internet, although Islamic State has lost allure.

Mr Burgess said terrorism had not been extinguished in Australia and ASIO's operational "tempo" will not decrease. He said the agency was "busier now than it had ever been".

"Individuals are still fantasising about killing other Australians, still spouting their hateful ideologies in chat rooms, still honing their capabilities by researching bomb-making and training with weapons," he told reporters.

"Critically, though, there are fewer of these people than there were previously, and fewer of them are likely to conduct an actual attack in Australia."

He also warned that while there is concern about offensive behaviours from nationalist and racist violent extremism.

"We must distinguish between ugly actions, big talk and actual terrorism," he said.

The ASIO director-general said Australia is now a safer place and the lowering of the threat level to possible took into account the government decision to repatriate women and children from detention camps in Syria.

"I can confirm ASIO conducted a thorough assessment before the decision to repatriate was made," he said

"The assessment included face-to-face interviews in Syria."

There has been concern, particularly in Western Sydney about the returning citizens and risk they represent to the community.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has backed ASIO's assessment.

"I say that I have absolute confidence in our security agencies. This is a decision for them. I won't second guess them and I won't comment on their behalf," he told reporters.

In the last annual ASIO threat assessment on February 10, Mr Burgess has revealed the domestic spy agency disrupted an onshore foreign spy network last year, as well as a plot to interfere to infiltrate the May federal election.

Without indicating the nation, he revealed the Australians targeted were current and former high-ranking government officials, academics, members of think tanks, business executives and members of a diaspora community.