ASIO boss Duncan Lewis was quizzed on the issue by One Nation leader Pauline Hanson at a parliamentary committee on Thursday night.

“I have absolutely no evidence to suggest there is a connection between refugees and terrorism,” Lewis said.

Asked whether refugee children were being radicalised in Australia, he said: “I see no evidence of it here.”

Lewis told Hanson ASIO did not make its enquiries or assessments on the basis of anyone’s religion.

“We are not interested in religion – we are interested in whether an individual is exhibiting or expressing violence.”

Asked whether women wearing burqas presented a security threat, he said: “We have no security reason to be concerned about the wearing of a burqa other than the requirement for individuals to identify themselves to authorities.”

He said not all thwarted terrorism plots had involved Islamist extremists – one recent investigation uncovered a right-wing extremist planning an attack.

Hanson campaigned at the last election on banning Muslim refugees and shutting down mosques.

– AAP