During Question Time, the opposition focused on the prime minister’s knowledge of the discovery of a caravan full of the explosive Powergel.
News Analysis
Parliament was once again fiery as the opposition took aim at Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s apparent lack of knowledge about an alleged anti-Semitic caravan bomb plot.
During Question Time on Feb. 5, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton began the charge, demanding to know the exact date and time Albanese was briefed on the matter.
Reports suggest the prime minister, attorney-general, and National Security Committee were not notified for 10 days as New South Wales (NSW) Police investigated the discovery of a caravan in north-west Sydney containing the explosive Powergel intended for the Jewish community.
Powergel is used in mining operations.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) and NSW Premier Chris Minns were made aware of the issue, but the federal government was not briefed due to “operational reasons,” with concerns that the information might leak.
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Minns himself also refrained from informing the National Cabinet.
Dutton accused the government of failing to handle national security effectively, asserting that the police deliberately withheld the information from Albanese due to concerns about leaks.
“Premier Minns was open and honest with the people of New South Wales when he provided confidence to the public, declaring what day he had been advised of the planned terrorist attack,” Dutton argued.
“The prime minister has been embarrassed because he wasn’t advised by the police, as they were worried about him leaking the information ahead of any action.”
Dutton was, however, asked to withdraw and rephrase his question to avoid directly reflecting on a member.
Albanese Retorts About Dutton’s Own History
The seasoned Albanese, however, countered by recalling Dutton’s past issues with classified material.
He reminded the House of Representatives of an earlier incident where Dutton was cautioned by Senator James Paterson, then-chair of the parliamentary intelligence and security committee, for referencing classified intelligence during a heated debate.
“He referred to both open-source and other intelligence,” Albanese stated.
“Senator Paterson rebuked him for it in 2022, and it wasn’t the first time. In 2020, the Office of Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton was suspected of leaking classified information about the cost of medically evacuating refugees.”
Albanese Calls for Support of Law Enforcement
Dutton, along with his deputy Sussan Ley and frontbencher Michael Sukkar, continued to press Albanese, arguing that the prime minister was being evasive.
“The prime minister is continuously avoiding answering the question,” Sukkar charged.
“If he doesn’t want to be relevant to the question, he can sit down.”
Albanese was quick to change the direction of the debate and urged the opposition to focus on national security rather than political point-scoring.
“There are two choices you can make here,” he said. “One is to prioritise supporting police and intelligence agencies in their work. The other is to play politics and engage in games. And that is precisely what you are doing.”
He then shifted the focus on praising the work ASIO and AFP has done to tackle anti-Semitism so far.
“There have been 180 arrests in New South Wales. Twelve people have been charged in Queensland, 13 in South Australia, and today, two in Western Australia. That is the hard work being conducted by our police and security and intelligence services.”
He added that he believes in their potential and in allowing them to work without interference.
A Call to Refocus on Policy
When pressed about knowledge of the caravan again, Albanese pushed back, arguing that the opposition should focus on real challenges such as healthcare and cost-of-living struggles rather than political point-scoring.
“Maybe that’s the priority, not this political game playing,” he said. “But those opposite—on a day in which we have announced $1.7 billion in additional health funding—can’t ask any questions about health.”
“They can’t ask questions about cost of living, even though they say that’s their number one priority. The only policy they have is free lunches,” he quipped.
The opposition will likely continue the focus on portraying the government as weak on national security.
Meanwhile, Albanese is betting that his government’s track record and cost of living measures will resonate with voters.
