Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has reaffirmed his commitment to dismantling organizations that hold anti-Australian sentiments. This announcement comes amid developments surrounding the disbandment of the National Socialist Network (NSN), a group notorious for its advocacy of a white ethno-state rooted in Nazi ideology.

The NSN leadership has announced their decision to disband in anticipation of new laws that could lead to arrests and charges against its members. Although the group has never been officially designated as a terrorist organization, it has drawn scrutiny for its extremist views. The lack of evidence demonstrating active planning or advocacy for terrorist acts has previously kept the NSN off the proscription list.

In a recent statement on Telegram, Thomas Sewell, the leader of the NSN, alongside other senior figures, acknowledged that the proposed legislation would render them unable to avoid an official ban if it were passed by parliament. The group’s decision to dissolve is seen as a strategic move to evade the impending legal ramifications.

Minister Burke has previously suggested that the NSN, as well as the Islamist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir, could be targeted under the forthcoming reforms, which aim to curb extremist activities. Reflecting on these developments, Burke expressed optimism, stating, “That’s positive, that’s good news,” as he continues to push forward with his agenda to safeguard national security.

“That’s positive, that’s good news.”

But he cautioned that while the laws would make it harder for them to organise, it did not mean “the hate in these individuals goes away”.

Efforts to build ‘community’

“I think they perhaps naively and wrongly believe that by not existing by Sunday night, they’ll escape being proscribed. I think Tony Burke’s going to proscribe them anyway, and that will stymie their efforts to form a new political structure.”

“They were moving into a new stage of populism and building,” Ross said. “Hopefully this sets them back quite significantly, but I think they will re-emerge”.

National Socialist Network leader Thomas Sewell addressed thousands of people at the anti-immigration March for Australia rally in August last year. Source: Getty / SOPA Images / LightRocket / Ye Myo Khant

Labor MP Josh Burns said it was a “fundamentally good thing” the NSN had said it would disband in the wake of the draft legislation, but that the group and its members would continue to be monitored.

Opposition home affairs spokesperson Jonathon Duniam has also expressed concern the group could avoid accountability by “tearing down a banner and re-emerging under a different name”.

‘Definitely a headache for them’

Notably, one of the “co-projects” the organisation said would shut down in its announcement was the White Australia Party — the planned political party it spent much of last year seeking to bolster support for in its efforts towards legitimacy.