Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been branded “out of the loop” as he refused to disclose when he was briefed about an alleged antisemitic terror plot involving an explosive-laden caravan in Sydney.
The Prime Minister declined to “speak about operational matters” when pressed by reporters in Melbourne on Friday.
“I have no intention of undermining an ongoing investigation by going into the details,” Albanese said.
He insisted his priorities remained “keeping Australians safe” and “providing support to the police and intelligence agencies for them to do their job”.
Reports indicate the Prime Minister was not informed of the 19 January discovery until Wednesday, just before it became public.
The 10-day delay in revealing the discovery has drawn sharp criticism, particularly from Opposition Leader Peter Dutton.
Anthony Albanese declined to ‘speak about operational matters’ when pressed by reporters on Friday
REUTERS
Dutton, a former home affairs minister, called the timing question “significant” and unprecedented.
“I can’t think of a precedent where a Prime Minister has not been advised of a nationally significant issue like this,” he told 7News.
The Opposition Leader suggested authorities were either worried about information leaks or had other undisclosed concerns.
“For the Prime Minister not to know about a terrorist attack that was in the planning is of national significance and a complete abrogation of his responsibility,” Dutton said.
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New South Wales Police Deputy Commissioner David Hudson
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The controversy adds to pressure on the Albanese government, already facing criticism over its response to rising antisemitism.
NSW Police discovered the caravan on 19 January, containing mining explosives with an estimated blast radius of 40 metres.
The Great Synagogue in Sydney’s CBD and the Sydney Jewish Museum were reportedly among the suspected targets detailed inside the vehicle.
Several “peripheral” arrests have been made by NSW Police, though the masterminds behind the alleged plot remain unidentified.
The discovery comes amid heightened security concerns, with domestic intelligence chief Mike Burgess noting that Australia’s security environment has evolved “almost exactly as we expected.”
Dutton warned that Australia would have faced its “most catastrophic terrorist attack” if police had not discovered the caravan.
Police lock down area near where explosives-laden caravan was found
REUTERS
Speaking to Nine’s Today, he described an escalating pattern of antisemitic incidents.
“It can start with graffiti and it can start with the doxxing, which is bad enough, but then it’s escalating to a firebombing of a synagogue,” he said.
“Had this taken place, as I understand from the police advice, it would have been a 40m blast zone, which would have been the most catastrophic terrorist attack in our country’s history.”
“You can understand why the Jewish community is really living on edge,” Dutton added.
Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley told Sunrise that the Prime Minister was “out of his depth”.
“We want the Prime Minister to succeed on this, we really do,” she said.
“But look, I’m really worried that Anthony Albanese is out of his depth on national security and antisemitism and it appears he’s out of the loop too.
“He needs to answer questions about when he knew about this terrorist caravan.
The Sydney Jewish Museum in Darlington was reportedly one of the intended targets of the suspected terror plot
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“It was discovered before the firebombing of a childcare centre in Sydney when he and the Premier stood up at that childcare centre, surely the Prime Minister of this country should have known about a terrorist caravan and associated threats.
“And this morning, we read in the media that members of the National Security Committee of Cabinet only found out about this following the leak to the press.
“So what is going on here? Why is the Prime Minister so out of the loop when it comes to critical issues of national security?”
In a rare statement, Australia’s domestic intelligence chief Mike Burgess said he did not expect to raise the terror threat level from “probable”.
Burgess noted that the security situation had developed as anticipated by intelligence services.
“One of the key reasons we raised the threat level in August 2024 was because we anticipated spikes in politically motivated violence,” he said.
“Unfortunately, the security environment has evolved almost exactly as we expected,” Burgess added.
The statement comes as authorities continue their investigation into the Sydney plot, with several arrests already made.