The Australian election has taken an alarming turn, with revelations of a terrorist assassination plot against opposition leader Peter Dutton. Very little information is forthcoming about the case, with the teenage suspect remaining unnamed and court proceedings keeping details, such as motivation, under wraps.
What is known is that a 16-year-old from a prestigious Brisbane private boys’ school allegedly planned to use a homemade bomb and a drone to attack the Liberal leader at his rural home, north of Brisbane. The teenager was arrested and charged last August with a Commonwealth offence of committing acts done ‘in preparation for, or planning, a terrorist act’, after a joint counter-terrorism investigation by federal and Queensland police.
The charge alleges the teenager researched “bomb-making instructions, purchased explosives ingredients, tested thermal chemical reactions, tested homemade explosives” contrary to section 101.6 of the Commonwealth Criminal Code. It is alleged the teenager, who has been held in custody since his arrest, planned the attack over two months, from May 21 to July 15 last year […]
When asked if he would like to say anything in answer to the charge or enter a plea, the teenager, who appeared by video link from a detention centre, responded: “No, I do not wish to enter any plea.”
Magistrate Megan Power last year imposed a media application to report on court proceedings. His lawyer, Michael Cridland argued that “The risk of prejudice … far outweighs any public interest there is in the media covering these proceedings.”
At the time, Ms Power refused the application citing a risk of prejudice to the teenager because having an extra person in court could make him uncomfortable. She noted the Children’s Court was “generally a closed jurisdiction”. “There are good reasons for that, Mr Cridland has pointed that out, those reasons from a youth justice principles particularly in respect of criminal matters,” she said. “In this matter, which involves a 16-year-old young person, who I am told and without challenge accept that suffers particular vulnerability … there is a risk of prejudice to him.”
Permission was given to the media to cover the hearing on Thursday […]
Mr Dutton has been under heavy personal police protection for years.
Funny how it’s always the conservative politicians who need police protection. Just ask Jacinta Nampijinpa Price.
Noongar leader Robert Eggington has told his social media followers “it’s a good day to protest” as he and other critics of Jacinta Nampijinpa Price make their way to her planned events in the West Australian city of Bunbury.
A heavy police presence is expected in the southwest port city for Senator Price’s visit.
Who wants to take bets on the ‘protest’ degenerating into violence? This is the left we’re dealing with, after all.
“As they say if it’s a good day it’s a good day to protest!!!” Mr Eggington wrote on social media.
These people live to protest. It’s their entire social life: where normal people spend their spare time with the kids, playing sport, getting out and about, the left protest. It’s all they do. It’s the only thing that fills the hollow void of their lives.
In other election news, the opposition is doing what it should have from the start: hammering the cost-of-living message.
Peter Dutton will ramp up his cost-of-living pitch to families by vowing to repeal penalties for car companies under Labor’s vehicle emissions standards, as Energy Minister Chris Bowen admits predicting electricity prices is like “making a punt”, in his strongest admission yet it was a mistake to go to the last election promising a $275 reduction in household bills.
It’s not ‘taking a punt’ at all. When Boofhead’s got his ‘Net Zero’ meathooks on the levers of energy supply, it’s a sure bet that prices will go up and up and up.
As revealed in The Australian last week, the Opposition Leader will on Friday unveil an election promise to abolish fines for car makers that do not lower the carbon footprint of their fleet in line with targets under Labor’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard.
“This is a tax on families who need a reliable car and small businesses trying to grow. Instead of making life easier, Labor is making it harder and more expensive,” Mr Dutton said. “We want cleaner, cheaper cars on Australian roads as we head towards net zero by 2050, but forcing unfair penalties on car makers and consumers is not the answer.”
Finally, it’s a case of ‘Jacinta-no-mates’ down in Victoria. After a cringeworthy single appearance in Melbourne where he shitcanned Labor premier Jacinta Allan to her face, Anthony Albanese has confirmed he won’t be going back for more.
The “one time only” Albanese-Allan joint appearance on Monday was designed to neutralise the issue of the PM’s failure to appear with the Victorian premier and while Labor figures have not absolutely ruled out a repeat, they say it’s highly unlikely.
The “anti-Allan” strategy is in stark contrast to plans for the PM to keep standing alongside Labor’s popular premiers: WA’s Roger Cook, SA’s Peter Malinauskas and NSW’s Chris Minns between now and election day.
It was a notably different story before the recent WA state election, though, where Cook openly told Albanese to stay away lest it hurt his own chances.
It says rather a lot when Labor pollies avoid being seen in each others’ company.
