Peter Dutton ignored invites for caravan plot briefings, Tony Burke says

Tony Burke has ramped up his criticism of Peter Dutton’s handling of a suspected terror plot that turned out to be a hoax.

Peter Dutton ignored invitations for briefings on the explosive-laden caravan found on Sydney’s outskirts so he could “stoke the most fear”, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke says.

After nearly two months of investigating, police have revealed the caravan was part of a “fabricated terror plot”.

Mr Burke said on Tuesday the Opposition Leader chose to make “outrageous claims” rather than inform himself.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke says Opposition Leader Peter Dutton ignored invitations for briefings on the caravan plot. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

“In this case, when Peter Dutton kept providing the exact lines and the exact narrative that organised crime was wanting to be out there, we kept responding by reminding him that briefings were available,” he told the ABC.

“And we did this publicly, that briefings were available, and he wasn’t seeking them.

“And reminding him that, when he seeks a briefing, he will get it.

“That was all done in full sunlight, and yet, he chose, quite deliberately, that he wanted to make sure he could continue to make the most outrageous claims.

“He wanted to make sure that he could stoke the most fear. And in doing so, he was running the exact script that organised crime wanted him to run.”

Coalition home affairs spokesman James Paterson has pushed back against Mr Burke’s criticisms, insisting the “Opposition was briefed”.

Mr Dutton has been accused of ‘running the exact script that organised crime wanted him to run’. Picture: NewsWire / John Gass

“In a desperate attempt to distract from Labor’s failures on national security Tony Burke has again misled the public,” Senator Paterson posted on social media.

“The Opposition was briefed by the AFP on Thursday 30 Jan including myself, the Shadow AG and the Opposition Leader’s office.”

But it remains unclear whether Mr Dutton himself was briefed.

NSW Premier defends ‘mass casualty’ remark

Federal and NSW police said the caravan in Dural and at least 14 anti-Semitic attacks in Sydney were efforts by organised criminals to distract law enforcement rather than racially motivated incidents.

In the early days of the police investigation, NSW Premier Chris Minns publicly described the caravan as a “potential mass casualty event”.

Asked on Tuesday if that was a shrewd choice of words, Mr Minns said it “would have been negligent not to take this incredibly seriously”.

NSW Premier Chris Minns has defended his description of the explosive-laden caravan as a ‘potential mass casualty event’. Picture: NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

“We saw instances of firebombings, the destruction and burning down of a childcare centre that was adjacent to a synagogue as well as – police will allege in court – the potential or attempted burning down of synagogues in NSW,” he said.

“So, based on all that information, the attacks that happened prior to and after the discovery of the caravan, it would have been negligent not to take this incredibly seriously.

“Obviously, as the information came to light, as the inquiry and investigation continued, changes to the inquiry and the motivation of those who are responsible came to light and were obviously told to me.

“But I wasn’t in a position to hold a press conference and say, ‘By the way, the circumstances have changed’.

“That obviously would have tipped the hand of NSW Police and delicate investigations, as I made the case at the very beginning when we disclosed the presence of the caravan, often need to be conducted in a clandestine or covert way.”

Fourteen people have been arrested and charged with dozens of offences since police raids on Monday morning and overnight related to anti-Semitic attacks in Sydney.