The federal government has increased the amount of money it is allocating to community groups to steer vulnerable people away from extremist ideologies from $1m to $1.6m.
The attorney general, George Brandis, said the funds would go to 34 community organisations across Australia.
The government initially planned to provide only $1m but received so many high-quality submissions it added an extra $600,000.
Brandis said the grants will enable a greater variety of organisations to work with people through individually-tailored programs.
These include a sports-based leadership scheme for vulnerable young people to re-establish healthy relationships with their families and promote positive peer networks.
A drop-in and retreat advice centre which can refer young people to mental health, education and employment services will also be funded.
Brandis said extremist groups not only threatened the peace and cohesion of Australian society but were actively targeting young people for recruitment.
“The government recognises and values the integral role of local communities in building resilience to violent extremism and creating strong community networks and these grants will enable them to create and deliver practical solutions where it matters most,” he said in a statement.
Brandis said the grants were part of the living safe together intervention program, established to identify radicalised and at-risk individuals and provide tailored services to address the root causes of their radicalisation.
He said the government had invested more than $40 million in initiatives to turn vulnerable individuals away from violent extremist ideologies.
“My department will work closely with the successful organisations to finalise funding agreements in the coming weeks,” he said.
Some Muslim community organisations declined to apply for the money, citing a lack of consultation, and claiming the one-off, one-year grants are insufficient to build a successful program.
