The prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, has defended the government’s funding of programs aimed at countering violent extremism (CVE), despite the recent release of a report that found that broad, community-based programs are not working.
During a speech to the House of Representatives on Australia’s national security tactics, Turnbull outlined the four goals of CVE programs, including one that promotes multiculturalism and social cohesion.
“Governments cannot win this battle alone. Community leaders and groups have great responsibility both in denouncing violent extremism and teaching unity in diversity, mutual respect instead of hatred,” Turnbull told the chamber on Tuesday.
He noted that expenditure on CVE programs has tripled over four years to $40m.
But an academic article examining Australia’s approach to counter-terrorism, published in the Behavioral Sciences of Terrorism and Political Aggression journal earlier this month, has called into question past policies that focus too much on community-building.
“There remains no independent evaluation or evidence-based research that has found that specific social cohesion or prevention initiatives have led to an actual reduction in violent extremism in Australia,” the report said.
“Moreover, their broadly targeted nature risks stigmatising the communities which they target. In terms of addressing the stated problem, having an overwhelming focus on prevention initiatives has meant that CVE projects in Australia have rarely directly engaged with individuals on a radicalising trajectory.
“Given that such projects mostly have an overwhelming focus on a broad range of social issues confronting entire communities, there is a risk that such programs will have little or no direct impact on CVE beyond the broad assumption that increasing community resilience and social cohesion will lead to an overall reduction in the number of individuals who might radicalise,” the report said.
The report covers federal government programs between 2010 and 2014. It noted that the Coalition’s election in late 2013 has resulted in a shift in focus towards a “tailored” intervention on anti-terror strategies, which the report said is a “significant first step in the right direction”.
The government should be moving away from programs that are too general, the report said, noting that only one project that directly intervenes to change the point of view of already-radicalised people, exists.
“This lack of investment in programs assisting already radicalised individuals to disengage is clearly problematic,” the report said.
The government’s special envoy on citizenship and community engagement, Philip Ruddock, has told Guardian Australia the response to anti-terror strategies is “continually evolving”.
The Coalition is building on strategies undertaken by Labor, he said.
The justice minister, Michael Keenan, said the Coalition had moved away from Labor’s funding priorities.
“I am confident our CVE programs are robust, based on best available research and international best practice and are agile in order to meet the security challenges of our time,” he said in an opinion piece published in the Australian newspaper on Monday. “This government wholeheartedly rejects any suggestion of complacency.”
