AFP chief warns of rising risks of rightwing extremism and 'despicable' child exploitation

Reece Kershaw signals he may seek new powers if tech giants push ahead with greater use of end-to-end encryption

The head of the Australian federal police has backed warnings about the rising threat of rightwing extremism and vowed to clamp down on terrorism regardless of the ideology behind it.

The commissioner, Reece Kershaw, used his address to the National Press Club on Wednesday to also raise the alarm about the growing number of child exploitation cases - and signalled he may seek new powers if tech giants like Facebook push ahead with greater use of end-to-end encryption.