Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe has criticized the lack of media and political response following the January 26 attack in Boorloo Perth.
Her comments come after her successful senate motion to denounce the attempted bombing at an Invasion Day rally.
This motion, which states that “an attack against First Nations people is an attack against all Australians,” was co-sponsored by Indigenous Labor senators Malarndirri McCarthy, Jana Stewart, and Dorinda Cox, and passed without any opposition.
On Tuesday, Senator Thorpe emphasized that the incident highlights “the real and rising racism and hate directed at First Peoples, which must be taken seriously by Parliament.”
“A man with hate in his heart and an intention to harm our people … threw a bomb. Why didn’t this receive national attention?” questioned the Gunnai, Gunditjmara, and Djab Wurrung woman.
“The trauma was met with something all too familiar: silence … another form of violence … in media newsrooms and ministerial offices,” she remarked.
“There was no emergency press conference from the prime minister … [his] only comments came when he was questioned at an unrelated press conference.
“This motion asks the parliament to say to First Peoples … we recognise that racism and hatred directed at you are real and rising.”
Senator Thorpe called on the government to implement in full the Australian Human Rights Commission’s (AHRC) National Anti-Racism Framework, submitted in November 2024.
Last week, the Race Commissioner Giridharan Sivaraman confirmed to NITV that the AHRC had still received no indications from the government on how it intends to respond to the report.
Senator McCarthy also condemned the attack.
“‘It’s a miracle that footage wasn’t very different,’” the Yanyuwa Garrwa woman quoted police as saying.
“We’ve heard from experts in the media about the device’s potential [lethality] … it’s only by chance that the device didn’t detonate.
“[It] landed in an area reserved for the most vulnerable … people in wheelchairs, babies in prams. We narrowly avoided a catastrophic disaster.
However she defended the government’s actions, saying she was “incredibly proud” of the prime minister for condemning the attack, and noting Labor’s recent hate speech laws.
“That legislation better protects all Australians … including Indigenous peoples from attacks.
“On behalf of the government, I extend my condolences to all those affected … we will not stop in our efforts to ensure safety for First Nations Australians, and all Australians.”
Kerryne Liddle, the shadow minister for Indigenous Australians, likewise condemned the attack.
“The Liberal Party clearly and unambiguously condemns the attack in Perth,” she told the chamber.
“It is appalling … there is no place for violence of this kind in Australia.”
She noted the ongoing investigations by the various state and federal authorities, but said her party diverged from Senator Thorpe’s motion on language regarding racism.
“This is an attack against Indigenous Australians. That’s the appropriate term to use. It’s also an attack against all Australians.
“Those propositions should not be controversial, it should unite this chamber … Where the Liberal Party parts ways [with the motion] is where it instead prosecutes arguments about Australia Day.
“This is being investigated as a terrorist attack. Those responsible should face the full force of the law. It’s not appropriate to use an incident … to reignite debates about January 26 or ascribe broader political motives.”
Senator Liddle moved to change the language of part of the motion, which called for governments to take “urgent action to address racism … against First People”, instead asking for it to refer to racism against “all Australians”.
That amendment was supported by the Nationals, but failed under a vote.
Dorinda Cox, a Labor senator from WA, spoke of the hurt and harm the attack had inflicted on her home.
“I want to be very clear about the seriousness of what occurred . throwing a bomb into a crowd is not symbolic.
“I know how deeply this has shaken our people, in particular my community. I have heard from parents frightened for their children, from exhausted Elders … That fear is real and that anger is justified.
“This happened on a day that carries intergenerational trauma for First Nations people.”
The incident added “another layer to an already loaded day”.
She also noted the governments efforts to strengthen “social cohesion”.
Speaking in the House of Representatives later on Tuesday afternoon, the prime minister Anthony Albanese said a “comprehensive response” was needed to build such cohesion, and that he would soon be receiving briefings on the incident from both the WA and Australia Federal Police Commissioners.
“We’ll continue to engage across the board on these issues,” he told parliament.
“We have had incidents of so-called sovereign citizens involved in the murder of police officers … there are a range of threats that are very real.
“I think we need a broader conversation as a society of the impact of polarisation, the impact of social media pushing people towards extremes.”
Investigating as a potential terrorist event
Police have charged a 31-year-old Warwick man after he allegedly tossed a homemade object containing volatile liquids and shrapnel into the crowd of Boorloo Perth’s January 26 protest.
Two charges have been laid against the 31-year-old Warwick man, including an unlawful act with intent to harm, and making or possessing explosives under suspicious circumstances.
A joint task force involving state and federal authorities is also investigating whether the event was a terrorist incident.
Protest organisers, including Fabian Yarran, have accused the authorities of failing to take seriously warnings they had given them in the lead up to January 26, including receiving threats.
