EDITORIAL: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s obfuscation on anti-Semitic caravan plot beggars belief

According to Anthony Albanese, Peter Dutton is “playing politics” through his insistence that an inquiry investigate when and how the Prime Minister was made aware of an alleged anti-Semitic terror plot, which were it not foiled, could have been the largest mass casualty event in Australia in decades.

Pot. Kettle.

What motivation other than purely political does Mr Albanese have to keep those details secret?

The public knows now of the discovery of a caravan in Sydney’s north west, allegedly laden with enough explosives to create a 40m blast zone. We know that caravan also allegedly contained a list of potential targets, including a synagogue and addresses of a number of Jewish people. Several arrests have been made.

And we know when NSW Premier Chris Minns became aware of the bone-chilling find.

He saw no reason to withhold from the public the fact that police had let him in on the plot on January 20, the day after the caravan’s discovery, and the day before National Cabinet met to discuss the rapid escalation in anti-Semitism in Australia.

Yet Mr Albanese’s briefing date is a matter of the utmost sensitivity.

Repeatedly, he has refused to divulged when and how he was told of the plot.

The only conceivable reason for his continued obfuscation on this issue is that he was among the last to know.

It has been reported that Mr Albanese was only let in on the details shortly before they were made public by the media.

That would be deeply embarrassing for the Prime Minister — to be deemed by investigators either irrelevant or too much of a security risk to be told.

Instead, once again, (Anthony Albanese’s) leadership is well wide of the mark.

No doubt Mr Dutton is motivated in part by politics in pushing for an inquiry.

But that doesn’t mean it isn’t in the public interest also.

The fast-rising frequency and severity of anti-Semitic incidents has put the community on edge and pushed the issue to the forefront of the national consciousness.

It is remarkable if, against this backdrop, the Prime Minister was left in the dark about a significant step up in the threat level.

If Mr Albanese wasn’t told of its existence, he needs to be upfront with the public and he needs to be leading the charge to find out why.

Instead, once again, his leadership is well wide of the mark.

And the Australian Federal Police seem reluctant also to be straight with Australians.

When asked at a hearing of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Law Enforcement on Thursday what considerations went into the timing of a ministerial briefing of security events, AFP deputy commissioner national security Krissy Barrett couldn’t have been more vague, saying only that there were “various protocols” in place and that decisions were made on a “case-by-case” basis.

Predictably, committee chair and Labor Senator Helen Polley shut down direct questions to Ms Barrett and AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw as to when Mr Albanese was told.

More silly games that treat Australians like mugs.