NSW Premier Chris Minns says he shouldn’t have allowed Sydney Opera House protests

The NSW Premier has issued a mea culpa over his role in failing to control protesters who stormed the Sydney Opera House forecourt.

NSW Premier Chris Minns has issued a mea culpa over his role in failing to control the events in the lead up to the Opera House protests which lead to 1400 pro-Palestinian protesters storming the forecourt.

Confronted with a barrage of questions during budget estimates on Wednesday, Mr Minns said the government should have not allowed protesters to advance to the Opera House while it was being illuminated with the colours of the Israeli flag, as a tribute to the victims of the Hamas attacks.

Chaotic scenes showed some attendees chanting anti-Semitic slurs, burning the Israeli flag and throwing flares at police.

“I deeply regret that and I have to take responsibility for it,” he told the committee.

Some attendees at the Monday night protest chanted anti-Semitic slurs. Picture: NCA NewsWire/ Jeremy Piper

Flares were also lit at the October 9 protest. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

Although he had been made aware of the escalating tensions, including revised plans by the Palestine Action Group to march to the Opera House, he said he didn’t think at the time to issue orders to prevent the rally from happening.

“I should have, in retrospect, (not allowed) protests from Town Hall to the Opera House” he said.

“We should have made the Opera House Forecourt in the immediate precinct an opportunity for the Jewish community to come together and if there were other protests in other parts of the city, then that should have been allowed to happen but well away from the community that wanted to come together and grieve.

“So I’m admitting that and the only thing I can is we apologise, and we want to learn from it.”

Mr Minns also detailed the conversations he had with his staff during the day, including 11 conversations with his chief of staff, seven conversations with Multiculturalism Minister Steve Kamper, about three calls with Jewish Board of Deputies president David Ossip, plus a call with the Police Minister Yasmin Catley, and Leader of the Opposition in the Upper House, Penny Sharpe.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said he should not have allowed protesters to advance to the Opera House. Picture: NCA NewsWire/ Monique Harmer

On Tuesday, internal communications between senior NSW Police staff revealed police held concerns over the impact of illuminating the Opera House sails, and feared it could exacerbate community tensions.

In an email time-stamped at 6.10pm on Sunday, October 8, a senior staffer in Police Commissioner Karen Webb’s office said the Acting Commissioner David Hudson and herself were “both equally concerned” at how lighting the sails of the Opera House would impact “our streets,” and the “potential further escalation of current tensions in the Jewish Israeli communities”.

The same email also included a request for “an urgent threat assessment” on the impact and risk.

However, the Premier said that he would have committed to the Opera House tribute regardless.

“I think we made the right decision and given the circumstances, I would have made the same decision,” he said.

“Municipalities and cities around the world would have been faced with exactly the same set of circumstances and I think it’s important for the committee to note most jurisdictions made exactly the same call.”

Drug summit ‘tracking’ for 2024

The Premier was also quizzed about NSW’s drug policy, including when the government would hold its drug summit.

Giving more details into the inquiry, Mr Minns said the government was “tracking” to hold the summit next year but wasn’t able to offer any more details.

Previously, the government said the summit would be held in the current term of government that ends in 2027.

“I can’t give you a month. I can’t announce that today, but obviously it would be better to have it earlier in the term than later and there are pressing issues that are affecting a lot of people’s lives,” Mr Minns said.

Mr Minns said the government was ‘tracking’ to hold a drug summit in 2024. Picture: NCA NewsWire/ Dylan Coker

Although the Premier said he was “not closing the door in relation to reform” on the management of drugs at music festivals, including pill and drug testing, he said the policy wasn’t “straightforward”.

“I had a close look at (drug testing), as well as the Minister for Health, and my concern is that mobile testing facilities at music festivals will determine whether there’s an alien substance in drugs … but it won’t measure potency,” he said.

“Examining the tragic deaths associated with drug use at music festivals, potency, generally speaking, is the reason people die, not a toxic substance or an alien substance in their drugs.”

Minns quizzed on 2015 China trip

Liberal upper house MP Damien Tudehope also asked Mr Minns about an overseas trip he took to China in 2015.

Mr Minns said he wasn’t aware who funded the trip but believed it was an Australia-Chinese business organisation.

The controversial trip was taken with other government figures, including Labor frontbencher Chris Bowen.

Mr Minns was also asked about comments he made in his maiden speech to NSW parliament that all NSW students should learn Mandarin. He said he no longer maintained those views.

“Australia’s relationship with China has changed significantly since 2018, and I believe that while second languages are important, and that they should be encouraged in school, young people in particular should have access to a whole range of secondary languages,” he said.

“The truth is, for the sake of both our multicultural communities and future trade and investment opportunities, we should, in effect, let as many languages be taught and learned by young people as possible.”