'So lucky' that Invasion Day rally bomb did not detonate, says Burke
Tony Burke described Australia as “so lucky” that an alleged attempted attack against Indigenous Australians on 26 January caused no harm.
Speaking at an ANU National Security College dinner, the home affairs minister addressed the incident at this year’s Invasion Day rally in Perth, which was attended by more than 2,500 people.
Western Australian police have alleged that a 31-year-old man threw a homemade fragment bomb containing screws and ball-bearings surrounded by explosive liquid. The device failed to detonate.
In Canberra, Burke told the audience:
“The Australia Day arrest in Perth, for a number of reasons, it didn’t receive the publicity that it really should have. But can I just say – we got so lucky. We got so lucky.
This was not a stunt. The person who threw the pipe bomb into the middle of a crowd of First Nations protesters believed that – if you look at what it was – this was something where there was a reasonable expectation it would have gone off, and the number of people who then would have been killed. The fact that that didn’t happen is not through any planning. We just got lucky.”
Farrell defends EU free trade agreement
Trade Minister Don Farrell stated that the agriculture industry has overwhelmingly supported the free trade agreement reached with the European Union yesterday and urged the cattle industry to “come onboard.”
The government described the agreement, approved during a visit from European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, as a “win-win.”
Farrell has faced criticism that the deal is too similar to one proposed in 2023, which was previously rejected. The cattle industry also claimed they were not informed of the final cattle export numbers until the morning of the agreement.
Speaking to ABC’s RN Breakfast, Farrell rejected these claims and said he would have accepted the offer if it had been presented earlier.
“Overwhelmingly, agriculture in this country has come out in support of the agreement. With the cattle producers, we’ve got an 800% increase in our access to the European market as a result of this agreement. And if the Europeans had made this offer to me in the last time we had formal negotiations, then we would have accepted it.
We finally negotiated the agreement in Sydney on Monday, and we told them at the earliest opportunity on Tuesday. So I don’t think that’s a fair criticism at all. And we’ve been briefing their associations all the way along the line.”
Government ‘not considering’ $40 fuel price caps
Environment Minister Murray Watt dismissed suggestions that the government might impose a $40 price cap for motorists filling up their tanks, stating the idea is not under consideration.
Reports had emerged about petrol pumps potentially being cut off automatically when motorists purchase up to $40 of fuel, but Watt clarified in the Parliament House corridor that this is not happening.
“We’re not considering this idea of a $40 price cap, that comes from a document that was released by the then government in 2019 and the situation has obviously changed between 2019 and 2026 …
We will continue to consider what options might be necessary in the future but I can knock that one on the head.”
‘Way too soon’ to talk about fuel rationing, says cabinet minister
Education Minister Jason Clare said it is premature to discuss fuel rationing in Australia amid the deepening Middle East crisis.
The government has implemented several measures to increase fuel supply, including lowering standards for petrol and diesel.
Speaking to ABC News Breakfast, Clare stated:
“They’re the sorts of measures that we’re taking to make sure that people have got petrol to put in the tank and diesel for farm equipment, as well as for vehicles in the cities. But any talk of rationing, I think it’s way too soon to be talking about that.”
Labor is also considering increasing ethanol supply in fuel, a move supported by the NRMA.
When asked whether more Australians should work from home to save fuel, Clare noted that many households already do so and that it has “become part of life already.”
Good morning, Krishani Dhanji here with you, thanks to Martin Farrer for getting us started.
The government continues to face pressure over rising petrol prices and fuel shortages nationwide as it implements further measures to increase supply.
Reactions to yesterday’s agreement on the EU free trade deal continue to emerge – we will provide updates as they come.
There is much to cover today, so let’s begin!
‘Broader than usual’ range of reforms being considered amid inflation storm, Chalmers says
The government is considering a broader range of reform options than usual ahead of the budget as Treasurer Jim Chalmers prepares for worsening inflation data expected later today, according to Australian Associated Press.
Chalmers expanded on recent remarks framing the upcoming May budget as his most ambitious yet, telling a Council dinner last night he was confident of achieving “something meaningful” with business community support.
The government’s expenditure review committee, responsible for budget decisions and including Finance Minister Katy Gallagher, met for hours yesterday and will meet again today.
“We are absolutely full tilt now working through a broader than usual range of options,”Chalmers said.
Treasury is developing reforms aligned with the treasurer’s principles of improving intergenerational equity, encouraging investment, and simplifying the tax system.
Reported options include cutting property-investor tax concessions, increasing the levy on windfall gas profits, and removing an expensive tax break for electric vehicles.
Chalmers emphasized that the budget will focus on both resilience and reform rather than choosing between the two.
He stated Australia was well prepared for inflation and growth challenges posed by the Middle East conflict.
Headline inflation was already at 3.8% over the year to January and is expected to rise further beyond the Reserve Bank’s 2-3% target band due to soaring oil costs causing second-order price increases across the economy.
Radicalisation now more likely to come ‘across a browser’ than a border, home affairs minister says
Tony Burke stated it would be “reckless” and “ignorance in the extreme” for Australia to assume immigration alone can prevent violent extremism on its shores.
In a speech last night, Burke emphasized the importance of careful immigration controls.
“It would be ignorance in the extreme for us to pretend that that is the fix. It would be reckless in the extreme for us to pretend that immigration is the solution. It is something that is one of our tools, but the only way we deliver national security is to deal with facts and risks as they present themselves, not as you might want them to be.”
Burke outlined four attempted or realized terrorist attacks in recent years, noting all those jailed were Australian citizens. These included the Christchurch mosque massacre, the alleged attempted bombing of the Invasion Day rally in Perth, a foiled plot to attack mosques in Perth, and the Bondi shooting in December.
He added that radicalisation now more commonly occurs online rather than being imported.
“Where we once only had to look at radicalisation potentially being something that might come across our border, it now comes across a browser. Where radicalisation used to involve – that you might have to go to a training camp in Afghanistan – it now comes to you in an algorithm.”
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog as the federal parliament sitting week continues. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories, followed by Krishani Dhanji bringing you news as it unfolds.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has said Australia was “so lucky” that an alleged attempted terrorist attack against Indigenous Australians on 26 January caused no harm.
Meanwhile, Burke’s cabinet colleague Jim Chalmers has warned the economy will be “buffeted” by the Middle East crisis and that Treasury is working “full tilt” through a broader than usual range of options for the May budget.
