Canberra, Australia – The Director-General of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), Mike Burgess, has revealed a rare glimpse into the scale of the country’s counter-terrorism operations. He confirmed that fewer than 100 people are currently on the “highest priority” security watch list, while thousands have been investigated by the agency.
In an exclusive interview with Sky News Australia, Burgess explained that the agency maintains various categories of individuals of security interest. These categories range from active priority cases to historical cases.
He indicated that the total number of people investigated by the agency, or who remain under scrutiny, is around 10,000 or more. However, he denied estimates that the number was in the tens of thousands. He also emphasized his commitment to political neutrality and declined to comment on specific political claims regarding the figures. Furthermore, Burgess stressed that the key is not the precise numbers, but rather the security services’ ability to actively monitor individuals at risk. Joint counter-terrorism teams handle priority cases in full coordination with the police.
Burgess’s remarks follow a stark warning he issued during his annual threat assessment. He noted that Australia’s security environment had deteriorated more rapidly than anticipated, influenced by rising social tensions, foreign interference, espionage, and violence.
He explained that conflicts in the Middle East were exacerbating domestic frustrations. He warned that social media was amplifying narratives of grievance, eroding trust in institutions, and intensifying polarization.
Burgess confirmed that Australia’s national terrorism threat level remains at “probable,” with no possibility of it being lowered in the foreseeable future.
He revealed that during the period 2024-2025, the agency investigated individuals linked to religious, nationalist, and racist extremist movements, as well as hybrid ideologies. He also noted a worrying trend of individuals embracing violent extremism without a coherent ideology.
Burgess noted that all the terrorist attacks foiled in the past two years involved minors or young people acting alone.
The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) has thwarted 31 major terrorist plots since 2014 and solved 14 significant terrorism cases since the Bondi Beach attack in December 2015.
