A heated exchange took place on Sunrise between Tanya Plibersek, the Environment Minister, and host Natalie Barr over the Albanese government’s handling of a foiled alleged anti-Semitic terror plot in Sydney.
The plot, which involved a caravan packed with mining explosives and a list of targets including the Great Synagogue and the Sydney Jewish Museum, has raised questions about the government’s response to rising anti-Semitism in Australia.
Pressure Mounts on the Prime Minister
The Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, is under pressure to confirm when he was briefed on the police discovery of the caravan, which was found on Sydney’s outskirts.
NSW Premier Chris Minns has said he was briefed on January 20, the day after the discovery, but it has been reported that Mr. Albanese was not informed until just before the information was made public last week.
A Frustrating Interview
Ms. Plibersek appeared on Sunrise, but refused to say who knew what and when, leading to a frustrating interview for host Natalie Barr.
“It’s a very concerning discovery,” Ms. Plibersek said, “but what we don’t do is give running commentaries during police investigations.”
However, Ms. Barr was not satisfied with the response, and the interview quickly descended into chaos.
The Importance of Hate Speech Laws
Ms. Plibersek took a shot at Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, who backed rolling back hate speech laws when the Coalition was in power.
“We’re not going to get into politics about this,” Ms. Barr said, but Ms. Plibersek emphasized the importance of hate speech laws in combating anti-Semitism.
“This is what’s going to make the big difference,” she said.
A Heated Exchange
The interview ended with a heated exchange between Ms. Plibersek and Ms. Barr, with the host asking why the Prime Minister was not informed sooner about the alleged terror plot.
“Should the police be giving a running commentary on their investigations?”
Ms. Plibersek asked, but Ms. Barr hit back, saying “it’s not chitty chatting informing the Prime Minister, surely, is it?”
The Opposition Weighs In
The opposition has been calling for more details on when Mr. Albanese learned of the caravan, with Mr. Dutton saying it was “significant”.
Coalition frontbencher Barnaby Joyce said it was “quite obvious that the police trust Premier Minns more than they trust the Prime Minister of Australia”.
He also said that Australia “wouldn’t be going down this path if the Labor Party had been more efficacious in their pursuit of anti-Semitism right from the start”.
The Investigation Continues
The NSW Police have made several “peripheral” arrests, but it remains unclear who was behind the alleged plot.
Domestic intelligence chief Mike Burgess said he did not expect to raise the terror threat level from “probable”, but noted that Australia’s security environment had changed “almost exactly as we expected”.
The investigation is ongoing, and the government is under pressure to provide more information about the alleged terror plot and its response to rising anti-Semitism in Australia.