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Webb says alleged offender’s previous knife charge ‘will be subject to the investigation’

Yesterday the ABC reported the alleged offender, aged 16, was on bail for a knife charge until January and then given a good behaviour bond.

Karen Webb is asked if police opposed that order?

That will be subject to the investigation … the investigation will delve into his history, his background and that will form part of what was on that individual’s mind … on Monday night.

Police working ‘painstakingly’ through footage and evidence of people who attended riot

Karen Webb said NSW police believe the action outside the church after the stabbing attack was a result of it being livestreamed, and because the alleged offender was arrested inside the church “some people turned up to get access to him”.

We [also] believe that people not associated with the church have turned up as an excuse and become a riot.

Webb said police are working through who was in attendance and there are some people they have already identified who “can expect to be arrested in the next day or so”.

Police have reports of up to 600 participants but Webb said not all were rioting against police.

Those people who were, they can expect to be identified and arrested and put before the court …

We have crime scene officers fingerprinting and DNA testing police vehicles to identify people from that … There’s certainly a lot of CCTV footage, there’s certainly a lot of police body worn video and police helicopter video that [we] will compile and go through painstakingly to identify those who have broken the law and assaulted police.

Webb could not say how many of the 600 could face possible arrest, but said some people could be arrested starting today.

Webb calls for unity, says this is ‘not about one community versus another’

NSW police commissioner Karen Webb says the community needs to come together after the stabbing attack at a church in Wakeley early this week.

The premier, Chris Minns, had previously warned against a “tit for tat” response, and Webb said there had been no evidence of this overnight. Instead, community members attended the church to pay their respects.

In an interview with ABC RN earlier this morning, Webb said:

Of course there’s still a risk, because it’s a very emotive issue and emotions run high at these times … the community actually needs to come together and just really consider this [was allegedly] one person acting alone and this is not about one community versus another.

Lebanese Muslim Association reiterates call for unity after church stabbing

The Lebanese Muslim Association has condemned Monday night’s stabbing attack inside a Wakeley church and called for Australians to remain united.

Secretary Gamel Kheir told ABC Radio early this morning he is “concerned” about potential retribution by “some youngster”:

That’s what scary, that these young kids who are impressionable are seeing acts like this, or possible acts, as a form of martyrship and we have to condemn it and we have to be very strong and vigilant to make sure that it doesn’t happen.

Are we concerned [about the threat of violence]? Yes we are. Thankfully, the police have been brilliant … I can’t thank them enough … Under such trying circ*mstances they were absolutely commendable.

Kheir said he had reached out to the Assyrian community and hopes to meet with them this week to foster a closer relationship, and “then hopefully the tensions will die down”.

Police ram stolen car to prevent risk to public

Police have rammed a stolen car and arrested five boys who allegedly committed robberies and cigarette burglaries across Melbourne while armed with machetes, AAP reports.

Officers spotted the BMW sedan in Boronia about 10.25pm last night and assisted by the air wing tracked the vehicle as it drove erratically and dangerously through the city’s CBD and eastern suburbs.

Police said the car was seen travelling at more than 190km/h on the East Link and posed a significant risk to the public.

Officers brought the BMW to a stop by ramming it on Wellington Parade, East Melbourne about 11.20pm to prevent further serious risk to the community.

Five boys were arrested and taken into custody and are assisting police with their inquiries.

One of the boys sustained minor injuries. Police said in a statement today:

It’s alleged the males armed with machetes committed numerous armed robberies and cigarette burglaries across the southern and eastern suburbs of Melbourne yesterday afternoon and Monday night.

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Environment minister Tanya Plibersek has reflected on the “shocking” events in Sydney throughout the past few days and says locals are reeling, with many personally impacted.

Speaking on ABC News Breakfast earlier, she said:

Many of us know one of the victims or [know someone who was] there at the [Bondi Junction] shopping centre … This is really reverberating throughout our community. Our focus is on the victims, their families, their friends, those who have been impacted.

And when it comes to the attack in the church, I mean, obviously [it’s] a place of worship, you think that people would be safe. There’s a lot of concern. It’s an important time for community leaders I think to provide as much reassurance as we can and to remind people that we have a strong and cohesive community.

Plibersek also called on the community to switch off from social media if they are able:

I really don’t think that the social media companies are doing as much as they ought to be, to support the police in their efforts to keep calm in the community. We know there are people deliberately trying to stoke division on social media, deliberately lying to create that social division. Switch it off, if you can. Switch it off.

The New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, says Australia’s largest city is in a combustible and abnormal situation and there’s no point pretending otherwise.

Speaking to Sunrise after the two stabbing attacks in Sydney, he said:

I can understand people’s concern and anxiety in what has been an incredibly difficult week in Sydney. It is a combustible situation, there’s no point in pretending that everything is as normal.

Minns said police now had enhanced patrols, “particularly in western Sydney, particularly around religious institutions, for the rest of the week and the weekend”.

The public has been urged to come together and act reasonably. Minns said:

Take the heed from the civic and religious leaders of this state who are calling for calm and an absolute repudiation of all kinds of violence.

- from AAP

Hastie wants ‘clear’ national defence strategy from government

As we flagged earlier, defence minister Richard Marles is due to speak at the National Press Club today and unveil the national defence strategy.

Shadow defence minister Andrew Hastie said he wants a “clear strategy” after last year’s defence strategic review, which he labelled a “deferral of decision making”.

There was no strategy in it and there are also cuts and cannibalisation to capability. So today, in clear plain English – which is not Richard’s strengths when it comes to strategy – he needs to articulate the threats we’re facing, he needs to articulate how we’re going to defeat them and how we’re going to build a defence force that will keep Australia safe over the next decade and beyond.

Asked how much more the government should be committing to defence, Hastie said clear strategy comes first and would dictate spending. He also said he is “concerned” about potential defence cuts.

We know inflation is eating into families, budgets around the kitchen table. It’s also eating into defence’s budget too. And what we’ve seen over the last two years is Aukus – which was supported on a bipartisan basis – and so we’re seeing increased defence expenditure required and this government has yet to commit to it.

Shadow minister for defence Andrew Hastie says Australia is facing its “most severe test for social cohesion” in 123 years, since federation.

Responding to the two stabbing attacks across Sydney in recent days on ABC RN, Hastie argued that the prime minister, Anthony Albanese’s, leadership is “so important” amid this “test” for social cohesion.

We are under immense pressure. People are scared, and particularly in Sydney where I grew up … We have many different people from all parts of the world and it’s very diverse too. There’s Christians, Muslims, Jews and other religions in between, and we need to be able to live together.

And so this is why Anthony Albanese’s leadership is so important and I think he can be stronger in articulating the values that we all share, and insisting that we all adhere to them, and that there is no place for religious extremism in this country.

Host Patricia Karvelas asked how much stronger Albanese can be, because “didn’t he just say that yesterday”?

Hastie said Albanese needs to “send a few signals that he’s serious about national security” and called on him to restore the director generals of Asis and Asio to his national security committee of cabinet:

I think that the current threat levels that they are, with the strategic disorder that we’re seeing in the Middle East – and also in this region – it’s really, really important that those two individuals have a seat at the table and are advising the national security committee of cabinet regularly.

The treasurer was also asked about the ongoing supermarkets inquiry, which yesterday threatened to hold Woolworths CEO Brad Banducci in contempt during a fiery hearing.

Being found in contempt carries a penalty of up to six months’ imprisonment. Nick McKim, who chairs the Senate committee, said Banducci was engaging in spin, “cherrypicking” facts and “bullsh*tting the committee”.

You can read all the background on this below:

Responding to this on ABC RN, Jim Chalmers said Banducci would be providing some information on notice and said “the Senate hasn’t jailed anyone before and I don’t think they’re about to”.

He accused McKim and the Greens of displaying “confected outrage”.

There is a real issue here about people’s concerns about the prices they pay at the checkout. We share those concerns. The difference between the way that the Greens go about this and the way that the Labor government goes about this is [McKim] does what he does for the cameras, and we do what we do for the consumers …

We think the best way to get at these real issues, which are genuinely felt as people are under pressure around the country, is to do it in a methodical and considered way and to get real change and take real action. And I think that’s a contrast with the kind of confected outrage we saw from senator McKim.