Chris Minns confirms NSW police treating incident as ‘terrorist act’
The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, has confirmed police authorities are treating an alleged stabbing incident in Wakeley overnight as a “terrorist act”.
Speaking to the media, Minns said the police commissioner, Karen Webb, made the decision at 1.35am to treat the incident as a “terrorist act” and that decision was validated by the minister for police at 1.45am, who contacted Minns at 2am.
Minns said it was “a major and serious criminal investigation”:
It is crucial that New South Wales police are able to devote their resources and intelligence as well as officers to the investigation of this crime.
Webb added:
At 1:35am this morning, after consideration of all the material, I declared that it was a terrorist incident.
Key events
No place for ‘violent extremism’ in Australia, prime minister says
The prime minister Anthony Albanese is now speaking to the media about last nights stabbing incident in Wakeley.
He said the incident was “disturbing” and there was “no place for violence in our community” and no place for “violent extremism”.
We’re a peace-loving nation. This is a time to unite, not divide, as a community, and as a country.
Josh Butler
Standing by for Albanese press conference
We’re standing by for an update on the western Sydney church stabbing from the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, in Canberra.
The PM’s office advised a short notice press conference this morning, where the PM is expected to be joined by the Asio boss, Mike Burgess, and Australian federal police commissioner, Reece Kershaw.
Albanese and the home affairs minister, Clare O’Neil, said this morning they’d been briefed by security agencies on the church incident. Albanese said a joint counter terror taskforce had been set up this morning.
Jonathan Barrett
Woolworths denies ‘land banking’ claims
Woolworths CEO Brad Banducci was asked at the Senate inquiry if the supermarket engages in “land banking”, a strategy that ties up sites to block competitors.
Banducci denied the claim:
All the land that we acquire is with an eye to develop, either as a distribution centre or industrial support infrastructure we need to put in, or to growth corridors where we hope we will see a new Australian community that we will have a privilege to serve.
The Senate inquiry previously heard that Australia’s major chains try to stifle competition by land banking prime sites, buying out competitors and taking over shopping centres to put in their own stores.
Jonathan Barrett
Woolworths CEO clashes with Senate inquiry
Woolworths chief executive Brad Banducci is having a terse exchange with the Greens senator Nick McKim, who is chairing the parliamentary inquiry into supermarket practices.
McKim repeatedly asked Banducci this morning to disclose to the inquiry the company’s return on equity (ROI), an important gauge of profitability.
The head of Australia’s biggest supermarket chain declined to answer the question, preferring to cite a different profit measure.
McKim took issue with this:
I put it to you the reason you don’t want to focus on return on equity is because you don’t like the story that it’s telling, which is that you are basically profiteering and making off with massive profits at the expense of farmers, at the expense of your workers and at the expense of Australian shoppers who you are price gouging.
Why won’t you answer a simple question about what your ROI is?
Are you struggling with the ordinary English language meaning of the words that I’m using in my questions?
There has also been a sharp focus on the strong profits recorded by Coles and Woolworths during a period of fast-rising grocery prices that have put pressure on households.
Profit margins at Woolworths have spiked far above pre-pandemic levels.
Australian National Imams Council condemns alleged stabbing incident in Wakeley
The Australian National Imams Council and the Australian Muslim community said they “unequivocally condemn” the alleged stabbing incident at a church in Sydney’s west last night.
In a statement, the council said:
These attacks are horrifying and have no place in Australia, particularly at places of worship and toward religious leaders.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Bishop Emmanuel and the victims and we pray for their speedy recovery.
We urge the community to stay calm and work together towards the safety and the security of all Australians.
Circling back to the prime minister’s earlier interview on ABC Radio Melbourne:
Anthony Albanese was asked whether the Labor party needed to withdraw any comments it had made in the past, after a judge expressed scepticism in his defamation findings yesterday about claims that some in the Morrison government tried to cover up Brittany Higgins’ allegations.
Albanese said “I think that at the time we, I believe, acted responsibly”:
Broadly speaking, this is a difficult time for any person that has been the subject of sexual harassment or abuse or assault.
As prime minister, I take these matters seriously. There have been changes made at Parliament House to make this a safer place to work for women. That work is ongoing.
Q: Do you think women are going to think twice before they come forward?
Albanese said “I certainly hope that’s not the case”:
I have every sympathy for the experience that Brittany Higgins has gone through. It’s been extraordinarily difficult for her. The federal court, of course, has made these findings yesterday. What’s clear is that everyone has a right to be safe at work.
Albanese was again asked if he is “comfortable” with everything he said at the time:
Well, it would be quite extraordinary if an alleged incident – which the judge has found on the balance of probabilities did occur – occurred within metres of the office that I now occupy, and we did not ask questions about it.
In case you’re just joining us, here is the full story regarding NSW police treating last night’s alleged stabbing incident in Wakeley as a terrorist act:
Woolworths CEO tells Senate it doesn’t price gouge and says supermarkets are ‘incredibly competitive’
Jonathan Barrett
Woolworths chief executive, Brad Banducci, has denied that the supermarket chain price gouges shoppers, telling a Senate inquiry that Australians wouldn’t shop with it if it did:
I would respectfully submit that this is an incredibly competitive market and that is good for consumers.
The Senate inquiry is designed to investigate how big supermarkets set prices and use their market power when dealing with suppliers.
There has also been a sharp focus on the strong profits recorded by Coles and Woolworths during a period of fast-rising grocery prices that have put pressure on households.
Banducci said that large suppliers had driven grocery price increases:
While at Woolworths we’re now seeing falling rates of grocery inflation, nevertheless, we understand that many of our customers are under immense cost-of-living pressure. If we do not generate value for our customers, they don’t shop with us for the whole or part of their basket.
Supermarkets around the world tend to earn modest margins, but can generate large profits due to the high-volume nature of grocery sales, especially in markets with limited competition.
The Greens senator Nick McKim, who chairs the Senate committee, said the inquiry had heard evidence to suggest the major supermarkets use their market power to pressure suppliers and customers:
You’ve used this market dominance to put the squeeze on your suppliers including farmers, to force down wages, to compromise staff safety and to price gouge your customers.
Paul Karp
PM declines to disclose alleged offender’s religion
On ABC Melbourne, Anthony Albanese was asked repeatedly whether authorities knew the religion of the alleged offender in the Wakeley incident, and whether he was refusing to say because he was unsure.
Albanese replied:
It’s a really good idea if politicians don’t lead this information disclosure. It’s a really good idea if police and authorities do, when things are confirmed.
There’s been a declaration of a terror incident, which means it is ideologically motivated. What we are doing here is going through the detail in a systemic way, allowing the police and security agencies to do their job. My job is to support the police and security agencies.
Greens echo call for unity following alleged stabbing incident in Wakeley
The Greens senator David Shoebridge has added his voice to a growing call for unity, following last night’s alleged stabbing incident in Wakeley.
In a post to X, he said the alleged attack was “utterly against our collective values of tolerance, acceptance and peace”.
The attack in Western Sydney last night was utterly against our collective values of tolerance, acceptance and peace.
The violence against first responders that followed was appalling.
Let’s remember how much we have in common and work towards peace wherever we stand.
Here is a video from last night’s alleged stabbing incident in Wakeley:
Prime minister responds to ‘very distressing’ alleged Wakeley incident
Paul Karp
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has responded to the “very distressing” alleged Wakeley stabbing.
Albanese told WSFM radio:
This incident is extremely concerning. I do urge people in the community to remain calm and listen very careful to police and provide them support. There is no place for violence in our community, there is no room for violent extremism. We’re a peace-loving nation. This is a time to united not be divided as a community.
Albanese warned it was “completely not acceptable” to damage or impede police vehicles, as occurred after the incident.
Albanese noted NSW police had declared the alleged stabbing was a “terror incident”, and that a strikeforce and joint counter-terrorism investigation had commenced.
Albanese said the young man that police allege is “responsible for this incident is in custody” so there was likely no “further danger”.
NSW premier warns against responding to rumours on social media
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, stressed that people should not respond to rumours on social media following last night’s alleged incident.
It’s very important right now that people not respond to rumours on social media, or even in this media conference today. New South Wales police will provide information to the public based on their investigation. And rumours can spread in the community and start disharmony or a breach to the public order very quickly. Wait for official communication from New South Wales police.
Police will allege ‘degree of premeditation’, commissioner says
Karen Webb says the teenage offender is known to police but is not on any terror watch list.
Police will allege there was a “degree of premeditation”.
We’ll allege that there’s a degree of premeditation on the basis this person has travelled to that location, which is not near his residential address, he has travelled with a knife, and subsequently the bishop and the priest have been stabbed, who are currently in surgery, as I understand it. They’re lucky to be alive.
Police believe the alleged offender was acting alone, but acknowledged it is early in the investigation.
Police commissioner details decision to label Wakeley alleged stabbing a ‘terror act’
The NSW police commissioner, Karen Webb, provided more details on what went into the decision to treat last night’s alleged stabbing incident as a “terror act”:
I had a teleconference with my team from counter-terrorism command for over an hour this morning to talk through this. The things that influenced my decision to declare this a terrorist incident was the actions of the individual, who attended – we will allege attended that church with a knife, armed with a knife, and stabbed the bishop [while] others were also injured.
We believe the elements … are satisfied in terms of religious motivated extremism, and of course, the intimidation of the public through that person’s acts. By attending that church, whilst it was being livestreamed, intimidating not only the parishioners in attendance, but those parishioners watching online, and subsequently those people that turned up to the church on the outside and the subsequent riot that happened.
Six paramedics could not leave church during Wakeley incident amid fears for safety, spokesperson says
A spokesperson from NSW Ambulance said paramedics attended to 30 patients last night over the course of three and a half hours.
Of those, seven were transported to hospitals across Sydney. Another patient was sent by private transport for a range of medical conditions and trauma-related conditions, he said.
Approximately 20 people were affected by capsicum spray.
The spokesperson said it was a “rapidly evolving situation” with crowds going from 50 to “hundreds” in rapid time.
Our paramedics became directly under threat and were supported by police and had to retreat into the church.
He said six paramedics could not leave the church for fear of their safety.
The words of some of our staff last night were ‘this was terrifying and extremely violent’.
Those involved in alleged riot can ‘expect a knock at the door’, police commissioner says
NSW police commissioner Karen Webb said a strike force had been established to investigate last night’s incident, and a referral had been made and agreed by the joint counter-terrorism investigation team.
The investigation would involve NSW police, federal police and other Commonwealth agencies, she said.
She alleged that while police and paramedics were responding to the incident in Wakeley, people “converged on that area and began to turn on police”.
People used what was available to them in the area, including bricks, concrete, palings, to assault police, and throw missiles at police and police equipment, and police vehicles.
We’ve had police injured and taken to hospital overnight. And we’ve had many, many police vehicles damaged – 20 have been damaged, and 10 are unusable.
This is unacceptable. Police attended the incident in Wakeley last night to assist that community in response to calls for assistance, and the crowd turned on police.
That is unacceptable and those that were involved in that riot can expect a knock at the door. It might not be today. It might not be tomorrow. But we’ll find you and we’ll come and arrest you. That is totally unacceptable.
Premier warns against people ‘taking the law into your own hands’
Chris Minns said he wanted to make “very, very clear” that there is “no such thing in Australia [as] taking the law into your own hands”.
He told a media conference:
It doesn’t exist. That’s for several reasons. Firstly, you will be met by the full force of the law if there’s any attempt for tit for tat violence in Sydney over the coming days. Secondly, you are diverting police equipment, investigation power, as well as resources, away from the investigation of this crime.
And lastly and perhaps most importantly, every religious leader representing communities across western Sydney has expressly said don’t do it.
Chris Minns confirms NSW police treating incident as ‘terrorist act’
The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, has confirmed police authorities are treating an alleged stabbing incident in Wakeley overnight as a “terrorist act”.
Speaking to the media, Minns said the police commissioner, Karen Webb, made the decision at 1.35am to treat the incident as a “terrorist act” and that decision was validated by the minister for police at 1.45am, who contacted Minns at 2am.
Minns said it was “a major and serious criminal investigation”:
It is crucial that New South Wales police are able to devote their resources and intelligence as well as officers to the investigation of this crime.
Webb added:
At 1:35am this morning, after consideration of all the material, I declared that it was a terrorist incident.
