Social media giants like Facebook and WhatsApp will be compelled to share encrypted messages of suspected terrorists and other criminals with Australian police under new laws unveiled Friday. It comes after Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull warned encrypted messages were increasingly being used by terrorists, drug traffickers and paedophile rings, calling for legislation to be modernised … Read more
Australia’s largest state Sunday said it was building a separate prison wing for extremist inmates to tackle radicalisation following a rise in homegrown attacks. New South Wales, home to about a third of Australia’s 24-million-strong population, has been the site of two terror attacks in recent years, including a cafe siege in 2014 where two … Read more
Australia has ordered an inquiry into espionage laws and foreign government interference amid growing concerns about Chinese influence in the country’s politics, it emerged Tuesday. The move follows an investigation that discovered the nation’s spy agency had warned the country’s political elite two years ago about taking donations from two billionaires with links to the … Read more
An Australian militant thought dead is still alive and under arrest in the Middle East, according to reports. The Australian government in May said Neil Prakash, a senior recruiter for the so-called Islamic State group, had been killed in a US air strike. He died in the Iraqi city of Mosul, Attorney-General George Brandis said … Read more
The Australian government’s proposal to hold a national vote on legalising same-sex marriage has been defeated in the upper house of parliament. The government said a non-binding ballot, or plebiscite, was the quickest way to amend the Marriage Act.. Same-sex couples can have civil unions or registered relationships in most Australian states but they are … Read more