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April 12, 2025
Saturday 12 April 2025
Matthew Knott
The Age
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has revealed authorities have launched legal proceedings to protect him after a “serious incident”, as it emerged that a Brisbane teenager had allegedly plotted to harm Opposition Leader Peter Dutton in a terrorist attack.
Albanese said he had reached out to Dutton to discuss the alleged terror plot, adding that “it is a fact that the number of threats that have been made to parliamentarians has increased in recent times and that has been reported on by the appropriate authorities”.
“I myself have been the subject of a range of issues, at least one of which is before legal processes at the moment,” he told reporters in Darwin.
“There was a pretty serious incident.”
Albanese said he had confidence in the Australian Federal Police’s ability to keep parliamentarians safe, as he noted increased security protections for politicians during the federal election campaign.
The early days of the campaign were marred by environmental protesters gatecrashing several events, including by posing as journalists, leading both campaigns to tighten their security arrangements.
Asked to provide more detail at a subsequent press conference, Albanese said it “is not in the interest of security to give a whole range of details, which then can lead to people copying” the threats.
Albanese confirmed there had been several threats made, and one “particularly serious incident”, as he suggested authorities had advised him not to elaborate on the details.
“These matters are dealt with by the police and the courts when appropriate,” he said.
Dutton echoed Albanese’s remarks on police, saying he trusted the AFP to protect him and his family and hadn’t been advised to engage with fewer people or curtail his public engagement during the campaign.
“I’m incredibly grateful to the AFP that my family are kept safe,” he told reporters in Perth.
“I’ve never felt unsafe one day in this job, particularly with the protection from the AFP. It hasn’t stopped me from doing anything, and it won’t on this campaign.”
Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw last month said there had been 712 reports of threats against high office holders, federal parliamentarians, dignitaries and electorate offices this financial year.
At this rate, the number of threats will surpass the record number of threats received the previous year, he said.
Coalition campaign spokesman James Paterson said the alleged threat against Dutton was “very troubling”.
“It involves a minor, and it’s a matter before the court, so I have to be very cautious about what I say about this specific instance,” he said on Sky News television.
“What I can say more broadly about the issue of young people coming to the attention of counter-terrorism police and ASIO is that it’s unfortunately a disturbingly fast-growing trend ... They’re often being radicalised online, sometimes very quickly by consuming extreme content, and they can go from having no violent intent to having violent intent, sometimes very quickly.”
The accused teenager has been committed to stand trial but has not entered a plea.