Australian terrorism experts have questioned the Coalition's move to cut welfare payments to people involved in extremist conduct, saying it could push potential extremists into the arms of terror organisations.
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Victoria University Professor Michele Grossman said people drawn to extremism already felt alienated from the community and that the federal government's plan would ''compound'' people's lack of belonging. ''It's a very, very risky strategy,'' she said.
''If you deny people who need benefits, it draws them to seek alternative forms of support.''
Professor Grossman, whose research focuses on countering violent extremism, said recruiters for violent organisations often used financial support to appeal to new members.
At the weekend, Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced the government would introduce legislation to stop welfare payments for Australians who are involved in extremist conduct.
Mr Abbott said payments would be cancelled if national security agencies assessed someone as a ''serious threat to Australia's national security''.
He cited the case of Khaled Sharrouf, believed to be fighting in the Middle East, who continued to receive welfare payments after he had fled Australia for Syria. The government plans to introduce the legislation to Parliament after it returns for the spring sitting at the end of August.
Monash University professor Greg Barton said that in cutting welfare payments, the government risked losing the trust of the broader Muslim community.
''The danger is the small advantage you might get in stopping some individuals receiving state benefits is outweighed by a much bigger loss of confidence across the whole community,'' he said.
Professor Barton, who is part of the Global Terrorism Research Centre, said Australian Muslims were feeling ''very fragile''.
The welfare move comes in the wake of proposed new counter-terrorism laws that will broaden the definition of terrorist activity and make it easier to arrest suspects and cancel passports.
Professor Barton said that if the government wanted to clamp down on welfare payments to extremists, it should be done ''very quietly and consultatively and not trumpeted''.
Dr Anne Aly from Curtin University said that while there was good cause to suspend welfare in the case of someone like Sharrouf, the government needed to be aware of how its actions could become part of conspiracy theories ''that Muslims are being targeted''.
The co-founder of People Against Violent Extremism said welfare should only be cut in extreme cases.
''Whenever you remove somebody's source of income, you're much more likely to lead them down a path of crime,'' she said.
Dr Aly said that the government would be better off investing in deradicalisation programs to get people ''out of becoming engaged before it's too late''.
