Exclusive: AFP's Special Counter-Terrorism Unit Disbanded Pre-Bondi Massacre
An Australian Federal Police (AFP) national surveillance team, established under the Commonwealth High Risk Terrorist Offender regime, was quietly disbanded due to funding shortfalls just weeks before the deadly Bondi attack. The decision was made late last year after a senior AFP figure informed staff that budget constraints and funding uncertainty had limited their ability to fill vacancies.
In correspondence viewed by The Nightly, team members were informed that the group's dissolution was being considered, and funding for their positions would be redirected to the AFP's Counter Terrorism and Special Investigations Command. While funding for eight positions was confirmed for the 2025-26 financial year, it fell short of the required 10 members, according to AFP best practices.
The commander of Covert and Technical Operations, Intelligence, and Covert Services, in a September statement to affected staff, emphasized the need for a decision regarding the team's future due to competing resourcing and operational priorities. AFP insiders suggest that when counter-terrorism operations were at their peak a decade ago, following the emergence of the Islamic State, additional surveillance teams were established across the country with 'highly mobile' capabilities.
A former senior officer speculates that the AFP's CTSI Command deemed it more beneficial to allocate the budget for that surveillance team to investigative efforts, leading to its disbandment and the reassignment of personnel to ACT Policing. This raises questions about the potential reallocation of resources and the monitoring of accused terrorists.
In the aftermath of the December 14 Bondi massacre, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese asserted that Australia's national security agencies, including the AFP, have never received more funding. When asked about additional resourcing for the AFP and ASIO to address radicalization and extremism, Albanese stated that all requests from security agencies have been granted by his government.
AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett acknowledged the challenges posed by increasingly complex environments, requiring constant re-prioritization. She expressed her willingness to engage in discussions with the government regarding resource allocation.
The Nightly sought details from the AFP regarding the disbanding of its Canberra-based national surveillance team but received no comment on surveillance capabilities. A previous report by The Nightly revealed that the union representing Federal police had warned the Albanese Government of chronic and worsening shortages of counter-terrorism offices weeks before the Bondi terrorist attack.
The AFP Association emphasized the expanding threat environment and the need for adequate resources for the AFP's front-line personnel. A closed-door investigation led by former Defence and ASIO boss Dennis Richardson is examining the actions of security agencies and Federal police before the Bondi shootings. The Albanese Government, however, has resisted calls for a wider Royal Commission.
Government sources anticipate the Federal Parliament to be recalled early this year to pass legislation targeting hate preachers and extremist organizations. The Opposition Leader, Sussan Ley, criticized the delay in Parliament's return, suggesting it should have been recalled earlier. Ley also demanded a Royal Commission into the anti-Semitic shootings at Bondi, supported by an open letter from four teal independent MPs.
