Minns staffers face arrest threat after refusing to attend caravan hoax inquiry

Premier Chris Minns has said his three most senior staffers will not front an upper house inquiry into the Dural caravan hoax, despite a threat they could be arrested if they refuse to attend.

Premier Chris Minns said his staff will not attend the upper house inquiry on Friday despite threats they will be arrested. Picture:: NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

Premier Chris Minns’s top three senior staffers could be arrested tomorrow for refusing to appear at an upper house inquiry into the Dural caravan hoax, after the Premier confirmed none of his staff would be attending.

Speaking on Thursday, Mr Minns doubled down, refusing for his staff to give evidence at the upper house “star chamber inquiry”, which he has labelled a “conspiracy theory”.

The Premier’s refusal comes after The Daily Telegraph revealed the staffers would be summoned to appear before the parliamentary inquiry probing the discovery of an explosive-laden caravan in Dural.

Under legislation governing parliament, warrants could be issued for the staffers’ arrest if they refuse to appear.

Mr Minns and Police Minister Yasmin Catley rejected invitations from the inquiry asking them to give evidence into when they first were briefed the explosives-filled caravan was a staged threat.

The inquiry would explore whether the government knowingly used the caravan hoax to justify rushing hate speech legislation through parliament.

The property at Dural in Sydney’s North West where the caravan containing explosives was relocated to before the discovery. Photo Jeremy Piper

“This is the definition of a fishing expedition,” the Premier said.

“I think there’s a lot of games being played by the legislative council.

“Ultimately we’ve got a job to do on behalf of the people of NSW, they do too but I don’t think it involves having these elaborate public hearings where they, on a routine basis try and get NSW government staff to appear almost like they’re criminals and they’re under investigation and they should front some kind of star chamber inquiry and if they don’t they’re under threat of arrest.”

Chris Minn’s chief of staff James Cullen facing a state parliament inquiry into Rosehill Racecourse. Picture: Max Mason-Hubers

The inquiry chair, upper house independent MP Rod Roberts, on Tuesday signed summonses compelling Mr Minns’ chief of staff James Cullen and Mr Cullen’s two deputies, Sarah Michael and Edwadr Ovadia to give evidence.

As the Premier confirmed they will not be attending, the upper house could compel president Ben Franklin to ask a Supreme Court judge to issue warrants for their arrest when they don’t show up on Friday.

Mr Roberts said he hoped the staffers would attend the inquiry.

“It is my hope they would front the inquiry under their legal obligations and comply with the law,” he said.

Inquiry chair independent MP Rod Roberts said he “hoped” the Premier’s staff attend the inquiry. Picture: NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard

The inquiry was established shortly after Australian Federal Police declared the explosive-laden caravan was part of a “fake terrorism plot” and “con job” hatched by organised criminals wanting “to cause fear for personal benefit”.

The Telegraph has previously revealed police believe Sydney businessman Sayet Erhan Akca was behind the contrived plot, in an attempt to leverage a lenient court outcome.

Mr Minns has ridiculed the idea that the government deliberately misled upper house members by using the Dural caravan hoax to pass hate speech laws.

“(When) we decided to go public with that investigation, it was because it was on the first page of The Daily Telegraph website … it forced us to respond,” he said.

“Now apparently on the date that we spoke about the Dural caravan investigation it was an alarming plot by me to frighten the people of NSW – now you can’t say both things were right.”

The Premier indicated he was not unopposed to his staff giving evidence at upper house inquiries where “it is appropriate and relevant and they’ve got information to supply to the community”.

He confirmed Mr Cullen would appear before the Local Small Commitments Allocation inquiry next Friday, which will explore whether the $400,000 Labor government grants scheme had been used for pork-barrelling.

Originally published as Minns staffers face arrest threat after refusing to attend caravan hoax inquiry