Australians who join, recruit for, or fund the violent white supremacist network Terrorgram will now face up to 25 years in prison, after the Albanese government officially declared the online group a terrorist organisation.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke confirmed the designation under the Criminal Code Act 1995, making Terrorgram the fourth white supremacist group — and the first under this government — to be listed as a terrorist organisation.
Terrorgram, which spreads violent nationalist propaganda primarily through the Russian-founded platform Telegram, has been linked to the incitement of lone-wolf attacks targeting politicians, abortion activists, and minority groups. The group is known for sharing bomb-making manuals and manifestos advocating for a race war and the collapse of democratic institutions in favour of a white ethno-state.
“This group fosters and promotes an ideology that would seek to make some Australians feel unwelcome in their home,” Burke said.
“It is this extremist hatred which is not welcome and has no place in Australia.”
While Telegram has previously shut down several of Terrorgram’s channels, the decentralised network has proven difficult to dismantle. At its peak, it operated more than 50 channels and reached hundreds of followers, some of whom went on to commit or attempt acts of violence.
The group has been referenced in violent manifestos, including that of a 19-year-old gunman who killed two people outside a Slovakian LGBTQ bar in 2022. In the US, two alleged Terrorgram leaders were charged in 2024 with inciting violence against federal officials, prompting the US State Department to designate it as a terrorist entity in January.
Australia’s counter-terror chief Mike Burgess previously warned that children as young as 12 were being exposed to white supremacist ideology online, with some teenagers being encouraged to support a so-called “race war”.
The listing builds on earlier actions by the Albanese government, including February’s counter-terrorism financing sanctions aimed at cutting off resources to white supremacist groups as part of broader efforts to tackle antisemitism and violent extremism.
“Terrorgram is an international network. People all over the world and in Australia use it,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong told ABC News Breakfast.
“We have to take action to prevent this network from continuing to be utilised.”
Australia has previously banned three other white supremacist groups: The Base, Sonnenkrieg Division, and the National Socialist Order. Former home affairs minister Karen Andrews described The Base as “a violent, racist and neo-Nazi organisation”.
Minister Burke added,
“This listing will give the Australian Government significantly more power to restrict the operation of extremists in our country and to keep Australians safe.”
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