Australia ‘will heed threat warning’

The new head of Australia’s parliamentary intelligence committee has said the country’s security services are taking the growing far-right threat “extremely seriously”.

James Paterson was the latest politician to express concern about the rising neo-Nazi phenomenon in some parts of Australia and said the “horrific” terrorist attack against mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, should serve as a warning.

Paterson was appointed to head the powerful committee last Thursday and said Australia “must ensure that violent extremism does not take hold… You only have to look around the world to see other countries are grappling with this problem”.

He said there were “lessons to be learned” from Christchurch, adding: “I think Australians were deeply shocked by it.

“It had a big impact on our psyche at the time, because it was such a horrific crime and because it was broadcast and it was very visible and because it occurred at a near neighbour.”