December 22, 2021
The chairman of a parliamentary intelligence committee says it "will not hesitate" to identify dangerous organisations as terrorist groups.
The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security is reviewing the recent listing of Hezbollah and The Base as terrorist organisations and will report its recommendations to parliament in 2022.
"No matter your ideology, if you engage in or threaten violence to achieve your political objectives the committee will not hesitate to endorse your listing as a terrorist organisation," the committee's chairman Senator James Paterson told AAP.
Hezbollah is a Lebanese organisation with political and military arms while The Base is a violent neo-Nazi movement founded in the United States whose members are preparing for a race war.
It is a criminal offence in Australia to be a member of either group.
The government in November listed The Base and the entirety of Hezbollah as terrorist organisations.
The listing of the entirety of Hezbollah came just months after the committee's review into the organisation's terrorist status received compelling evidence that all of its facets are involved in the planning, preparation and advocacy of terrorist activities.
Hezbollah's external security branch has been listed as a terrorist organisation since 2003.
The committee in November unanimously recommended the entire organisation be marked as a terrorist group.
Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said the listing of the two organisations sends a very strong message that Australia condemns the use of terrorism.
Ms Andrews also kept open the prospect of expanding the list further, including to more right-wing extremist groups.
The review is open for public submissions until February 1 next year.
