Daily London
A 31-year-old man has been charged but his identity can’t be revealed because of concerns for his safety.
It did not detonate and no injuries were reported.
Organisers of the Invasion Day protest at Forrest Place in the CBD had begun to accuse police and the government of downplaying the alleged motive.
“Any other group, a white group, the police would have come out and said this is a hate crime, this is an act of terrorism and they would have handled things appropriately and these things would have been handled a lot different,” rally organiser Fabian Yarran said today.
Before the declaration was made, Emergency Services Minister Paul Papalia said changing the label wouldn’t change the police response.
“Declaring something a terrorist incident requires confirmation of the motivation behind the individual and I’m not sure that they understand the motivations behind this individual at the moment,” he said.
After the September 11 attacks in the US, national terrorism laws were introduced in Australia carrying a maximum sentence of life in prison.
They allow people to be charged with a raft of offences including engaging in an act of terrorism and planning an attack.
The 31-year-old man was charged with making or possessing explosives under suspicious circumstances and one count of an unlawful act or omission with intent to harm. He was not charged with any terror-related offences but investigators today said their investigation was continuing and didn’t rule out further charges.
Greens MP Sophie McNeill, who was at the rally, said the alleged attack was “clearly designed to terrorise”.
“Yet so far the alleged attacker has not been charged with such offences,” she said.
University of Western Australia Associate Professor Tamara Tulich said a terrorist act was defined in the criminal code as having three elements: purpose, motive and harm.
Human Rights Commission wants incident treated like Bondi
The Australian Human Rights Commission tonight urged national action on racism in response to the incident.
Social Justice Commissioner Katie Kiss called for the “potential mass casualty event” to be treated with the same urgency and seriousness as the Bondi Beach terrorist attack in December.
“Invasion Day gatherings are spaces for truth‑telling, cultural strength and calls for justice – not fear,” Kiss said in a statement tonight.
“While the motive is yet to be determined, there is no question that the targets of the attack were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their allies.
“Had the device detonated the results could have been catastrophic, and potentially as deadly as the Bondi terrorist attack.”
Race Discrimination Commissioner Giridharan Sivaraman said hate and discrimination must be addressed urgently and comprehensively.
“The Australian Human Rights Commission’s National Anti-Racism Framework, which the federal government has yet to endorse and implement, provides a blueprint for effective action for tackling racism,” he said.
“We cannot afford to wait any longer. Precious lives and freedoms are at imminent risk.”
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