Peter Dutton did not personally attend a federal police briefing one day after the Dural caravan plot was publicly revealed, but he has denied claims he “deliberately” kept himself in the dark on key details indicating it was a “fake terrorism plot” orchestrated by organised crime.
In a stern rebuke on Tuesday, the opposition leader accused the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, of lying and “trying to find political opportunity out of a national security issue” after Burke earlier said Dutton had not taken up the offer of a briefing.
The Australian federal police revealed on Monday the caravan incident was allegedly concocted by criminals who wanted to cause fear for personal gain – not inflict a “mass casualty event” in Sydney.
The AFP deputy commissioner Krissy Barrett said “almost immediately” investigators had considered the caravan to be “a fabricated terrorism plot – essentially a criminal con job”.
On 29 January, 10 days after police discovered the caravan, The Daily Telegraph reported its story on the caravan containing 29 explosives capable of creating a 40-metre wide blast radius.
Guardian Australia understands the opposition requested an online briefing with the federal police on 30 January, which was attended by the Berowra MP Julian Leeser and the senators Michaelia Cash and James Paterson.
It’s understood a security adviser from Dutton’s office said they would attend on behalf of the opposition leader’s office, but did not register for the briefing, nor appear on the screen when it began.
However, Dutton’s office insists a staff member was present for that briefing, despite no apparent record.
Timeline
Dural timeline
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The caravan is first spotted by a local man in Dural who moves it off the road.
The man opens the caravan, discovers the explosives and notifies police.
Peter Dutton says the opposition requested a briefing from the AFP for 22 January. This was not in relation to the caravan, but to previous comments from the federal police about paid or overseas actors carrying out antisemitic attacks.
NSW police address media on the caravan plot.
Dutton calls the event a terrorist attack: “Had this terrorist attack taken place – if the reports are correct around the 40-metre blast zone – this would have been the most significant terrorist attack and loss of life in our country’s history.”
James Paterson, Michaelia Cash, Julian Leeser and a member of Dutton’s staff receive a briefing from the AFP.
Anthony Albanese is asked whether he classifies the event as terrorism. He says: “I certainly do. I agree with Chris Minns. It’s clearly designed to harm people, but it’s also designed to create fear in the community.”
Dutton calls for an inquiry into when the prime minister was briefed on the caravan incident. During a press conference he said: “I think the prime minister should appoint an eminent Australian from the law enforcement and intelligence community to have a transparent look at what has failed here, because we can’t have what could have been the most catastrophic terrorist event in our country’s history and the prime minister doesn’t know about it until the public does.”
Dutton pushes Albanese on when he was briefed on the caravan plot, calling it a “planned mass casualty terror attack”. Albanese claims Dutton has not received a brief. “The leader of the opposition hasn’t got one, but we’re happy to provide that.”
Dutton continues to call the plot a “mass terrorist attack” during a press conference. “How can we conceive of a position where the prime minister of our country is not aware of a planned mass terrorist attack that could have resulted in a 40-metre blast zone and hundreds of people losing their lives?”
Albanese tells the Today show that Dutton hasn’t received a briefing. “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.”
Cash calls the fabricated plot a “terrorist attack” during a Senate estimates hearing. “The problem for Mr Albanese is that his failure to be across his brief on critical national security issues just confirms that he’s a weak prime minister who didn’t even know about a potential mass casualty terrorist attack in Australia.”
AFP deputy commissioner Krissy Barrett reveals the plot was a “con job”. “Almost immediately, experienced investigators within the [Joint Counter Terrorism Team] believed that the caravan was part of a fabricated terrorism plot – essentially a criminal con job.”
Guardian Australia understands the AFP’s suspicions that the incident might be a hoax were not shared in detail at the 30 January briefing, as lines of inquiry were still being investigated. The AFP was contacted but said it has no comment.
It is understood the opposition did not request any other briefings after 30 January.
Dutton said the opposition had requested a briefing on 22 January after the AFP commissioner said overseas actors could be behind a spate of violent incidents against the Jewish community.
Dutton said there was no mention of a “fake terrorism plot”.
“At no time during those briefings or my discussions with the director general of Asio, including on February 18, was there any mention of a hoax,” he said.
“The thought that we didn’t request a briefing is complete and utter nonsense and … I think the prime minister needs to answer questions about when he was advised of this being a hoax.”
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Shortly after the 30 January briefing, Dutton said the incident could have been the “most catastrophic terrorist attack in our country’s history”. He also called for an inquiry into the incident response to ascertain who in the federal government knew what, and when.
“If there’s been a briefing to the premier of New South Wales, but the prime minister wasn’t interested in getting a briefing, well, what does that mean for our national security?” he said on 6 February.
In the same February press conference, Dutton criticised Anthony Albanese for not giving the exact date he was first made aware of the caravan’s existence, suggesting it was a serious national security matter.
“How can we conceive of a position where the prime minister of our country is not aware of a planned mass terrorist attack that could have resulted in a 40-metre blast zone and hundreds of people losing their lives?” Dutton said.
Both Albanese, and the New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, described the saga as a potential “terrorism” event in the days after the Daily Telegraph reported the story on 29 January.
On 30 January, Albanese said he agreed with Minns that it was a potential terrorism event.
“It’s clearly designed to harm people, but it’s also designed to create fear in the community. And that is the very definition [of terrorism],” he said.
Albanese would later decline to offer further details when asked at press conferences after his initial response.
On Tuesday, Minns defended linking the incident to terrorism on the first day.
“It would have been negligent not to take this incredibly seriously,” Minns said.
The prospect of the incident being a hoax was canvassed by the NSW police deputy commissioner, David Hudson, during an initial police press conference about the caravan on 29 January.
Hudson said the police were pursuing a number of inquiries, including whether it was someone looking for “some assistance at court” or whether someone would have disclosed the caravan’s existence to police before it was eventually discovered by the public.
Guardian Australia has contacted the offices of Cash, Leeser and Paterson.
