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Australia's Federal Police force (AFP) say its capacity to deal with terrorist threats was "stretched" to the limit, and revealed it did not receive any of the 900 million U.S dollars allocated to the national security budget in 2015/16.
Fairfax Media reported on Tuesday that the AFP was struggling to keep up with the volume of information relating to possible terrorist activity on Australian soil, but the agency said it would continue to prioritize activities that put Australians most at risk despite the lack of funding.
"The AFP's capacity to respond to increased volumes of activities and threat means that resources are stretched," the AFP said on Tuesday.
"The AFP will continue to prioritize work and cases based on the risks and threats to Australian interests."
Last year, the Turnbull government hinted at a further 170 million U.S dollars in funding for the federal police force in the 2016/17 budget, but the AFP said it would be of minimal help when pegged alongside the growth of the service over the last four years.
The AFP said that work within the force had grown at a rate which requires more money than what the Turnbull government was promising, and added that the increased workload could "be directly attributed to the conflicts in Syria and Iraq".
"This level of activity is anticipated to continue as the number of Australians seeking to support conflict continues to grow," the AFP said.
On Tuesday, counter-terrorism experts labeled the revelations as "counter-intuitive", and expressed outrage that the 900 million U.S dollar counter-terrorism package did not include a funding boost for the AFP.
Prof. Greg Barton from Deakin University said, ultimately, it was Australian citizens who were short-changed by the lack of funding, and said even a small portion of the billion dollar package could have been used in creating a greater social media exposure so the public could consume the latest news faster.
"What we're likely to be missing out on is the human intelligence (and) social engagement factor," he told Fairfax.
A spokesperson for Australia's Justice Minister Michael Keenan said the AFP had a budget of approximately 1.2 billion U.S. dollars for 2015/16, but said the government would be looking at making sure the AFP was "well-resourced to ensure the safety and security of the Australian people".
