Experts and families are warning that the current system to intervene and rehabilitate people who have joined extremist groups is flawed, putting Australians at risk.
There's concern that too much focus is put into policing and not enough into prevention.
Figures obtained by Four Corners show that only six people have been referred to a federally funded intervention program via the National Security Hotline since July 2023. The hotline is the country's main tool for reporting extremists.
Australia's official Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) programs are run by state and territory police and governments, overseen by a federal government strategy.
But many families have told Four Corners they are reluctant to report their loved ones to authorities.
Peta Lowe, former director of CVE for NSW Youth Justice, said the system to access these programs was "not working".
"We have an actual gap of service delivery, particularly for those people who already don't have a lot of trust in government, who feel marginalised in the community, who for all sorts of reasons have a distrust of authority," she said.
She said the issue had been recognised around the world.
"Police and law enforcement should be identifying, detecting, disrupting, investigating, prosecuting. That's their role. They aren't responsible for intervening, for diverting."
Of the six people referred to a CVE program from the hotline, not all were deemed suitable to access the support, according to the Department of Home Affairs documents.
Fear of a 'lone wolf attack'
While some families are reluctant to involve authorities, others say their repeated pleas for help have gone nowhere.
Chris, not his real name, reached out to authorities for three years to get help for his brother, after he became obsessed with far-right extremism.
Social media posts seen by Four Corners appear to show Chris's brother defending the so-called Islamic State, while advocating for beheadings and arming people with weapons.
He said his brother has attempted to make homemade guns and ammunition was found at his house.
Chris is worried his brother might carry out a "lone wolf attack".
"He started getting obsessed with far-right extremism, Neo-Nazis. And … he would join those groups who used to dream about having a modern-day Hitler in Australia," Chris said.
Chris said he was so desperate for support, he contacted the National Security Hotline, Victoria Police, the NSW support helpline Step Together and the Department of Home Affairs.
"I'm worried about what might happen because I believe it's important to get early intervention [rather] than waiting until someone is at the stage, [where] you're planning an attack," he said.
Australia's security agencies have said one of the biggest terrorism threats is a person operating on their own.
In August last year, ASIO raised the threat level for terrorist attacks in the country from "possible" to "probable" — adding that the threat from those on the far right or with a mix of ideologies was growing.
Australia's security agencies released a warning, putting the onus on families to flag signs of extremism.
"Parents, teachers, health professionals and frontline workers need to understand and identify the early signs of radicalisation. Once ASIO and the AFP get involved, it is usually too late — the young person is already in a dark and dangerous place," ASIO director general Mike Burgess said.
Flaws in the system
Getting access to an intervention program doesn't guarantee a good outcome.
James Hollands had been in a police-run CVE program in Perth for two years.
Then, in May last year, the 16-year-old stabbed a man in a Bunnings car park.
Police shot James dead minutes later.
James's father told Four Corners his son was autistic, but it had been difficult to get a diagnosis or mental health support when he was younger.
The teenager had researched the far-right and fixated on different ideologies like communism and radical Islam.
Western Australia's CVE program is being reviewed in the wake of James's death.
John Lehane, a police officer for 40 years, oversaw WA's CVE program when James joined it.
While he can't comment on that case, he said mental illness is a major factor among extremists.
He has now broken ranks with the police force, calling for health departments, not police, to lead CVE programs.
"Police are very good at investigating [and] identifying crimes … But what I have found is that in most of the programs, the clients that are being dealt with have a lot of psychological and socio-economic issues," Lehane said.
"You need psychologists and psychiatrists and the health system to help these individuals.
"Health seems to be in the best position in a lot of areas to be the lead."
Trying to find help online
CVE programs are shrouded in secrecy, making them hard for the public to find and difficult to determine their effectiveness.
A Google search for "my son is radicalised, what should I do?" returns the federal government's Living Safe Together website.
The website is the main national resource to deal with violent extremism.
It does not detail the different CVE programs in each state or territory — the top suggestion is to report someone to the National Security Hotline or the police.
The federal government website also recommends contacting a NSW support hotline called Step Together. Until recently clicking on that link redirected users to the wrong website — one with self-help and psychological advice but no connection to Step Together.
After an enquiry by Four Corners the Department of Home Affairs fixed the link.
The federal government has announced plans to nationalise and upgrade the Step Together website.
Australia's CVE model sits in contrast with countries like the United States and the United Kingdom, where community organisations play a bigger role in rehabilitating extremists and supporting families.
Ms Lowe said the country needs a change in perspective when it comes to deradicalisation.
"It's a struggle in this country when we have such a focus currently on a tough on crime agenda. So, it's very difficult for us to be able to shift our view of policing," she said.
"If we miss that opportunity for early intervention and diversion, that's when the community becomes unsafe."
A Home Affairs Department spokesperson said the federal government has committed $106 million over four years to countering violent extremism.
"The most effective way to protect Australians from terrorism and violent extremism is through prevention and early intervention," they said.
But no recent review into the Federal CVE program has ever been made public, so it's not clear if the system is working.
Watch as Four Corners exposes the growing threat of homegrown extremism and desperate calls for stronger action, on ABC iview now.
