“The volume of terrorism financing in Australia is linked to the number of Australians travelling to join terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq,” the report said.
Roughly $53m, $11m in cash, was taken out of the country and used for individual attacks and operations, as well as for sustaining terrorist groups and paying family members who died in operations.
Australia is on high alert for attacks by radicalised Muslims or by home-grown militants returning from fighting in the Middle East, having raised its threat level to “high” and carried out a series of high-profile raids in major cities.
Security analysts have put the number of foreign fighters in Iraq and Syria – travelling from scores of countries – in the thousands.
About 120 Australians are believed to be fighting with Islamic State (Isis) and other militant groups in Iraq and Syria. Intelligence agencies believe several hold leadership positions in Isis.
Australian citizens face up to a decade in prison for travel to overseas areas declared off-limits, and the government has worked to stop the flow of funds overseas.
Last year it shut a money transfer business linked to the family of a suspected Australian Isis fighter, Khaled Sharrouf, on suspicions it transferred up to $20m to foreign militants. Sharrouf is believed to have been killed in Iraq earlier this year.
Roughly $53m, $11m in cash, was taken out of the country and used for individual attacks and operations, as well as for sustaining terrorist groups and paying family members who died in operations.
Australia is on high alert for attacks by radicalised Muslims or by home-grown militants returning from fighting in the Middle East, having raised its threat level to “high” and carried out a series of high-profile raids in major cities.
Security analysts have put the number of foreign fighters in Iraq and Syria – travelling from scores of countries – in the thousands.
About 120 Australians are believed to be fighting with Islamic State (Isis) and other militant groups in Iraq and Syria. Intelligence agencies believe several hold leadership positions in Isis.
Australian citizens face up to a decade in prison for travel to overseas areas declared off-limits, and the government has worked to stop the flow of funds overseas.
Last year it shut a money transfer business linked to the family of a suspected Australian Isis fighter, Khaled Sharrouf, on suspicions it transferred up to $20m to foreign militants. Sharrouf is believed to have been killed in Iraq earlier this year.
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