A heated political back and forth has once again erupted over an explosives-filled caravan now believed to have been part of an elaborate antisemitic hoax.
Federal police have alleged that criminal gangs are behind what they have called a “criminal con job” — set up to look like a planned attack on the Jewish community — after details of the investigation were first revealed in late January.
Officers from the joint counterterrorism team came to that conclusion “almost immediately”, Australian Federal Police (AFP) Deputy Commissioner Krissy Barrett said on Monday, because of the visibility of the explosives and the lack of a detonator.
But that theory was not shared with the public for almost two months, and the spectre of a terror attack on Jewish Australians, and what exactly the government was doing in response, dominated debate when parliament returned in February.
Now Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has used the confirmation of a hoax to go after Opposition Leader Peter Dutton — who repeatedly labelled the incident a planned terrorist attack — claiming he chose not to be briefed on the investigation and instead used the plot to stoke fear for political gain.
But the Coalition has hit back at those allegations, accusing Labor of lying about the briefings and politicising national security.
There are still unanswered questions, but here’s how the political debate over the caravan evolved.
January 19: Caravan discovered
A caravan packed full of explosives is discovered on a rural property in Dural, in Sydney’s north-west. Police had been tipped off to its existence earlier in the day.
Inside, they find indications that the explosives “might be used in an antisemitic attack”, including a note referencing the Great Jewish Synagogue.
The public is not informed at this stage.
January 20: NSW premier briefed
New South Premier Chris Minns is briefed on the caravan incident, but it remains under wraps from the public.
Then, overnight, a childcare centre in Sydney’s south-east is set alight and sprayed with antisemitic graffiti. It is the eighth antisemitic incident in Sydney in three months.
January 21: National cabinet meeting held
A snap national cabinet meeting is held to address the spate of antisemitic attacks in Sydney over summer, including the previous night’s attack on the childcare centre.
Mr Minns and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese appear alongside each other at a media conference outside the centre, but the caravan investigation is not mentioned.
The same day, the Australian Federal Police release a statement noting that authorities are investigating many lines of inquiry in response to the public antisemitic incidents, including whether “overseas actors or individuals have paid local criminals in Australia to carry out some of these crimes in our suburbs”.
January 22: AFP clarifies that Australians could be behind spate of attacks
AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw clarifies the previous day’s warning, adding that authorities are also investigating whether people in Australia could be paying criminals to commit the attacks.
“We believe criminals for hire may be behind some incidents. So part of our inquiries include who is paying those criminals, where those people are, whether they are in Australia or offshore, and what their motivation is,” he says.
“We are not ready to rule anything in or out.”
Loading…
The same day a man charged in relation to a suspected antisemitic arson attack on a brewery in Sydney’s east appears in court. Text messages revealed in the hearing reference instructions from a man code-named “James Bond”.
The revelations spur the Coalition to request a briefing from the AFP.
January 29: Details of investigation made public
Details of the investigation into the caravan are leaked to The Daily Telegraph, which publishes a story on the morning of January 29.
That afternoon, NSW Police, the AFP and Mr Minns hold a media conference about the ongoing investigation.
“This is the discovery of a potential mass-casualty event. There’s only one way of calling it out, and that is terrorism,” Mr Minns says of the incident.
In the same media conference, Deputy Commissioner David Hudson says police are pursuing multiple lines of inquiry, including whether “someone was looking for some assistance at court”.
Journalist: “The caravan was abandoned midway through the plot. Why leave those explosives there? Why leave those clues there? Were they interrupted? Were they disturbed at that run?”
Hudson: “That’s one of the lines of inquiry that we’re pursuing, whether it is a strategic matter that they’ve left those there for to be discovered by police or authorities, whether someone was looking for some assistance at court, whether someone was going to disclose the existence of those explosives to us prior to it being recovered by a member of the community and towed to a safe place.”
Later that day, both the prime minister and opposition leader weigh in for the first time. Mr Albanese releases a statement “unequivocally” condemning the act, adding that the investigation is being led by the joint counterterrorism team.
Mr Dutton posts a statement to social media late that evening, warning that the incident represents an escalation of an “insidious rise of unchecked antisemitism”.
The Coalition requests a briefing about the caravan investigation from authorities.
January 30: Coalition receives briefing
Shadow Home Affairs Minister James Patterson, along with other members of the Coalition, are briefed on the investigation.
Meanwhile, The Daily Telegraph publishes another story, including the name and images of two people, Tammie Farrugia and Scott Marshall, who police have linked to the alleged plot.
When asked by ABC Radio if he classifies the incident as terrorism, Mr Albanese says: “I agree with Chris Minns,” apparently referencing the premier’s comments from the previous day.
“It’s clearly designed to harm people, but it’s also designed to create fear in the community. And that is the very definition,” he says.
The same day, Deputy Commissioner David Hudson flags the prospect of a set-up. “Obviously that’s a consideration that we are looking at as well,” he tells 2GB when he is asked whether it could be a hoax.
“It is not unusual for certain elements of the criminal fraternity to try and seek assistance by disclosing certain weapons or explosives to police.”
January 31: Albanese won’t reveal when he was told about caravan
Journalists ask the prime minister to confirm when he was briefed on the investigation. In response, Mr Albanese says he does not comment on operational matters — a line he has maintained ever since.
“I have no intention of undermining an ongoing investigation by going into the details,” he says. “This should not be the source of political debate.”
February 2: Dutton says he’s spoken with ASIO chief
During an appearance on Insiders, the opposition leader is asked whether he has been briefed by ASIO or the AFP since the caravan incident.
“We have had James Patterson and our people have had briefings in relation to it,” he says.
“I’ve spoken, and I’m not going to go into the private details of text messages I’ve had with [ASIO chief] Mike Burgess, but I know this space very well, David, and I can’t believe the prime minister has not been informed.”
The opposition leader also uses the interview to ramp up his attack on Mr Albanese, airing unverified allegations that the prime minister was not briefed by NSW Police due to fears there would be leaks in his office.
“Which is the only explanation. Otherwise it’s inexplicable that the premier of New South Wales would have known about this planning, this likely terrorist attack with a 40-metre blast zone, and he spoke with the prime minister over nine days and never discussed it,” he says.
In a podcast episode, Mr Albanese comments on the possible motives for the attacks, pointing to police theories that “some of the perpetrators of these violent acts have been paid to do so”.
“Now, they are engaged in an operation to not just find the perpetrators, but find who’s paying them. Who are the actors behind this?” he says.
“Which is why some of the calls for more of that information to be out there, whilst understandable from one perspective, what you can’t do is undermine an investigation.”
February 4: Albanese says Dutton hasn’t opted for a briefing
Parliament returns for the year and the Coalition sharpens its attack over the prime minister’s decision to withhold information about when he was alerted to the plot.
Under questioning, Mr Albanese says the opposition leader has chosen not to receive a briefing.
“The leader of the opposition always has briefings made available when they’re requested. He has not requested a briefing at this time,” he says.
February 5: Debate over when Albanese knew continues
Mr Dutton once again uses Question Time to hammer the prime minister over when he was first made aware of the caravan incident, repeatedly referring to it as a “planned terrorist attack”.
In response to a question from Opposition Deputy Sussan Ley referencing the “mass-casualty terror attack”, Mr Albanese suggests she receive a briefing.
“I note the characterisation of the deputy leader of the opposition. I’m happy to provide a brief, through the security agencies, if requested,” he says.
“The leader of the opposition hasn’t got one, but we’re happy to provide that, and then the shadow minister might be better informed.”
Labor also agrees to Coalition demands to introduce mandatory minimum sentences for terror crimes and the display of hate symbols, in a bid to pass its hate crimes legislation.
When parliament returns the following week, the Coalition eases up on questioning the government over the caravan investigation.
February 6: Dutton confirms he’s yet to be briefed
The prime minister once again accuses the opposition leader of failing to get a briefing, describing it as “totally irresponsible” in an interview with Nine.
“Peter Dutton has chosen to not get a briefing because, if you don’t get a briefing, you can just talk away and not worry about facts,” he says.
Later that day, Mr Dutton tells journalists he has written to the prime minister demanding an inquiry into when he was first notified about the incident, which he calls the “biggest planned terrorist attack in our country’s history”.
“It should be made public and there should be transparency around it because it’s without precedent,” he says.
“There is no way in the world that a prime minister would be kept in the dark for 10 days about an alleged terrorist plot that could have killed hundreds of Australians.”
He also confirms he has not received a briefing “in relation to this event”, but Shadow Home Affairs Minister James Patterson has. “I will do in course when there’s further information available,” Mr Dutton says.
AFP Deputy Commissioner Reece Kershaw is questioned during Senate estimates but declines to answer questions about when the prime minister was briefed.
March 10: Police reveal hoax
The AFP announces the caravan was part of a “fake terrorism plot” with links to organised crime, noting that it had come to that belief “very early on”.
“Almost immediately, experienced investigators within the joint counterterrorism team believed that the caravan was part of a fabricated terrorist plot, essentially a criminal con job,” AFP Deputy Commissioner National Security Krissy Barrett says.
Shortly afterwards, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke accuses the opposition of making “reckless” statements about the plot that “played directly into the hands of organised crime figures”.
March 11: Coalition rejects Burke’s comments
On Tuesday, Mr Burke reiterates his allegations that Mr Dutton had chosen not to receive a briefing after the government repeatedly offered one.
“We’ve continued to be briefed as the investigation has developed, and certainly when we were publicly reminding Peter Dutton that he had not received a briefing, it’s because there was more information to be able to get,” Mr Burke told ABC Radio.
“We knew what he was saying was not where the investigation was going.”
Loading…
Senator Patterson disputes Mr Burke’s account in a social media post, stating members of the Coalition including himself, the shadow attorney-general and the opposition leader’s office were briefed on January 30.
In a media conference later that afternoon, Mr Dutton does not dispute Labor’s claims that he personally had not been briefed since the discovery of the caravan.
But he does accuse Mr Burke of lying and says: “The thought that we didn’t request a briefing is complete and utter nonsense.”
He confirms the Coalition had requested two briefings in January, as detailed earlier, and that he was in contact with ASIO boss Mike Burgess up until at least February 18. There had been no mention of a hoax in any of those conversations, Mr Dutton says.
The opposition leader also characterises Labor’s rhetoric as an attempt to politicise national security.
Loading…
“It’s just crass politics being played out by a cheap politician,” he says.
“What’s obvious is that Tony Burke has been caught out lying today and I think this is a massive own goal.”
Mr Dutton also reheats his earlier unfounded assertions that authorities did not brief the prime minister about the investigation due to the risk of leaks.
“If the prime minister knew that was a hoax and he didn’t provide that advice to the Australian public, then we need to understand why, but I’m not aware that’s the case,” he says.
“The prime minister was kept in the dark for a period of time, presumably because the police were worried that he or the prime minister’s office were going to leak information.”
