Latest news with #RodRoberts
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Dangerous': Premier slams arrest threat
NSW Premier Chris Minns has slammed the threat of arrest for five political staffers as a 'dangerous precedent' after he refused to front an inquiry into the Dural caravan bomb plot. Five staffers for Mr Minns and Police Minister Yasmin Catley risked the possibility that a warrant would be issued for their arrest after they failed to attend the third hearing of the inquiry last Friday into the relationship between the caravan plot in Sydney's northwest and the passing of strict anti-hate laws. Independent MLC and inquiry chairman Rod Roberts confirmed the staffers had since agreed to attend a special hearing of the committee on Friday during an interview with 2GB's Ben Fordham on Wednesday morning. 'As a result of the (Legislative Council) president Ben Franklin seeking legal advice from Bret Walker, one of the eminent silks in relation to constitutional law, he has ruled that the Legislative Council is in their rights … to seek arrest warrants for these people that didn't comply with the summonses,' he said. 'But, the government has capitulated now overnight (and) waved the white flag and we're going to make arrangements for a committee hearing on Friday for these five to attend.' Mr Roberts said he had received an 'undertaking' from the five staffers that they would attend the inquiry 'at this stage'. He described it is a 'very big backdown' from Mr Minns and that it was 'unprecedented that a Premier would take it to that level'. 'I don't know where he got his advice from – his legal advice – but, it's been reaffirmed by the leading constitutional lawyer in Australia that we are within our rights,' Mr Roberts said. Asked about the reversal, Mr Minns said he was 'disappointed about the circumstances' that led to his staff being summoned. 'Don't take my word for it. Listen to the chair of the committee who said the reason they're being called in is because I won't appear before the committee. 'So, in a punitive way, pulling in staffers to this upper house inquiry. 'I think that the very troubling information that staff would be arrested and held potentially overnight via police custody is a massive overreach.' Mr Minns said staff would 'make up their own minds' about whether to attend, and he was offering them support as their employer. He went on to slam the committee as 'unleashing extraordinary powers of police or the courts' on what was 'close to a kangaroo court'. 'That's a breach or a step that no one has taken in the parliament's history, and there's very good reason for that,' he said. 'Does anyone truly believe that the members of that committee, given everything that they've said prior to the committee's opening hearing, are going to be soberly assessing the information before them and making a non-political decision? 'I think they've already shown inherent bias in their approach to all of these inquiries, and they don't follow due process. 'So, I think it's a dangerous precedent for the state, but at the end of the day, we are where we are.' Mr Minns went on to accuse the committee of pushing the 'common understanding' that all anti-Semitic incidents in Sydney were related to the Dural caravan plot. Appearing later on 2GB, Opposition Leader Mark Speakman said he was 'glad' about the reversal. 'It shouldn't have come to this,' he said. 'There shouldn't have been the threat of warrants and arrests, but this is a premier and a government (that) think they're above the law. 'Just imagine if witnesses subpoenaed to court gave the bird sign to the court.' After receiving a letter on Friday afternoon regarding the staffers, Mr Franklin instructed the clerk to seek legal advice. 'This morning, I have met with Mr Brent Walker SC who has given me the benefit of his verbal advice on the matter,' he said on Tuesday. 'On the receipt of his advice in written form, I intend to table it in the House given the significance of this issue. 'In the meantime, I am considering his advice and its implications, as I tend to make a statement to the House later this week on my intended action.' The inquiry was established to determine who not what and when about the explosives-laden caravan, which police later claimed was not a terrorism plot and instead part of a criminal conspiracy. It has so far heard evidence from leading figures in NSW Police as well as government staff.
News.com.au
25-06-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
NSW Premier, Police Minister staffers to front Dural caravan inquiry after arrest threat
NSW Premier Chris Minns has slammed the threat of arrest for five political staffers as a 'dangerous precedent' after he refused to front an inquiry into the Dural caravan bomb plot. Five staffers for Mr Minns and Police Minister Yasmin Catley risked the possibility that a warrant would be issued for their arrest after they failed to attend the third hearing of the inquiry last Friday into the relationship between the caravan plot in Sydney's northwest and the passing of strict anti-hate laws. Independent MLC and inquiry chairman Rod Roberts confirmed the staffers had since agreed to attend a special hearing of the committee on Friday during an interview with 2GB's Ben Fordham on Wednesday morning. 'As a result of the (Legislative Council) president Ben Franklin seeking legal advice from Bret Walker, one of the eminent silks in relation to constitutional law, he has ruled that the Legislative Council is in their rights … to seek arrest warrants for these people that didn't comply with the summonses,' he said. 'But, the government has capitulated now overnight (and) waved the white flag and we're going to make arrangements for a committee hearing on Friday for these five to attend.' Mr Roberts said he had received an 'undertaking' from the five staffers that they would attend the inquiry 'at this stage'. He described it is a 'very big backdown' from Mr Minns and that it was 'unprecedented that a Premier would take it to that level'. 'I don't know where he got his advice from – his legal advice – but, it's been reaffirmed by the leading constitutional lawyer in Australia that we are within our rights,' Mr Roberts said. Asked about the reversal, Mr Minns said he was 'disappointed about the circumstances' that led to his staff being summoned. 'Don't take my word for it. Listen to the chair of the committee who said the reason they're being called in is because I won't appear before the committee. 'So, in a punitive way, pulling in staffers to this upper house inquiry. 'I think that the very troubling information that staff would be arrested and held potentially overnight via police custody is a massive overreach.' Mr Minns said staff would 'make up their own minds' about whether to attend, and he was offering them support as their employer. He went on to slam the committee as 'unleashing extraordinary powers of police or the courts' on what was 'close to a kangaroo court'. 'That's a breach or a step that no one has taken in the parliament's history, and there's very good reason for that,' he said. 'Does anyone truly believe that the members of that committee, given everything that they've said prior to the committee's opening hearing, are going to be soberly assessing the information before them and making a non-political decision? 'I think they've already shown inherent bias in their approach to all of these inquiries, and they don't follow due process. 'So, I think it's a dangerous precedent for the state, but at the end of the day, we are where we are.' Mr Minns went on to accuse the committee of pushing the 'common understanding' that all anti-Semitic incidents in Sydney were related to the Dural caravan plot. Appearing later on 2GB, Opposition Leader Mark Speakman said he was 'glad' about the reversal. 'It shouldn't have come to this,' he said. 'There shouldn't have been the threat of warrants and arrests, but this is a premier and a government (that) think they're above the law. 'Just imagine if witnesses subpoenaed to court gave the bird sign to the court.' After receiving a letter on Friday afternoon regarding the staffers, Mr Franklin instructed the clerk to seek legal advice. 'This morning, I have met with Mr Brent Walker SC who has given me the benefit of his verbal advice on the matter,' he said on Tuesday. 'On the receipt of his advice in written form, I intend to table it in the House given the significance of this issue. 'In the meantime, I am considering his advice and its implications, as I tend to make a statement to the House later this week on my intended action.' The inquiry was established to determine who not what and when about the explosives-laden caravan, which police later claimed was not a terrorism plot and instead part of a criminal conspiracy. It has so far heard evidence from leading figures in NSW Police as well as government staff.
The Guardian
20-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
NSW political staffers could be arrested after failing to appear at Dural caravan inquiry
A parliamentary committee is seeking warrants for the arrest of five New South Wales government staffers who failed to appear and give evidence to an inquiry examining the Sydney caravan 'fake terrorism plot'. The staffers – three from the office of the premier, Chris Minns, and two who work for the police minister, Yasmin Catley – were summoned to appear before the inquiry on Friday. But they did not show up. The staffers claimed – in a letter to the upper house committee chair, independent MP Rod Roberts – that they had the 'reasonable excuse or just cause' required by law to not appear. The staff members argued they were 'proxies' because Minns and Catley could not, as members of the lower house, be compelled to appear as witnesses. The inquiry – launched with the support of the Coalition, the Greens and crossbench MLCs – is examining the handling of information about the caravan plot amid concerns about whether parliament was 'misled' before controversial laws aimed at curbing antisemitism were rushed through parliament. In January, after it was announced that the caravan had been found in Dural laden with explosives, Minns said it had the potential to be a 'mass casualty event'. But in March, the Australian federal police revealed they believed it was a 'con job' by organised crime figures seeking to divert police resources and influence prosecutions. Minns has said he was briefed early on that the caravan plot 'could be something other than terrorism as it's classically defined and that no line of inquiry was being ruled out by NSW police'. The premier and the police minister refused to appear at the inquiry before the committee sought the appearance of their staffers. Friday's extraordinary decision to seek the arrest warrants could lead to the staffers being apprehended and brought before the committee to give evidence. But several steps have to be completed first. Roberts, the chair, will meet with the president of the Legislative Council, Nationals MP Ben Franklin, on Friday afternoon to submit the committee's case. Under the Parliamentary Evidence Act, if the president is satisfied that the five staffers failed to appear without just cause or reasonable excuse, the matter would be referred to a judge of the supreme court. If the judge agrees, then warrants would be issued and the staffers arrested and brought before the committee to give evidence. 'This decision follows numerous attempts by the committee over several weeks to secure the attendance of these staff by invitation and ultimately by summons,' Roberts said in a statement. The staffers summoned to appear included Minns' chief of staff, James Cullen, and two of his deputy chiefs of staff, Edward Ovadia and Sarah Michael. The police minister's chief of staff, Ross Neilson, was also summoned, along with Catley's deputy chief of staff, Tilly South. The staffers' letter to Roberts, released by the committee, stated: 'Our attendance before the select committee to give evidence would be at odds with the principles of ministerial accountability and comity between the houses of parliament.' Sign up to Afternoon Update Our Australian afternoon update breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion They pointed to an outstanding inquiry on parliamentary privilege and ethics, stating they suspected in light 'of recent events' it would consider whether compelling ministerial staff to give evidence infringed parliamentary privilege or 'offends principles' of Australia's Westminster system of government. 'In these circumstances, and particularly while the standing committee's inquiries are ongoing, we consider that there is a reasonable excuse or just cause for us to not attend the hearing, and we propose not to do so,' they wrote on Thursday. 'Given your [Roberts'] comments on breakfast radio yesterday as to the motivation for issuing the summonses, which make it clear we are 'proxies' because our respective ministers cannot be compelled as witnesses to the select committee, we also consider that they have not been properly issued.' The letter noted Ovadia had informed the committee he was on leave during the relevant period. Minns told reporters on Thursday that his staff would not appear. On Friday morning, Roberts conducted a roll call twice to empty chairs set out for the staffers before closing the hearing. Earlier in the week, the premier told 2GB radio he believed the inquiry was based on a 'giant conspiracy' led by his political opponents. Minns said summoning staffers to appear was a 'bid for some kind of relevance' by opponents. Asked if his staffers were prepared to be arrested, Minns said: 'Well, I hope it doesn't get to that. I mean, I think that would be a giant overreach. It's never happened before.' The NSW Liberal leader, Mark Speakman, was asked by reporters on Friday if the move was drastic. 'It is drastic and it's easily avoidable if they do the right thing, obey the law and appear,' he said. Minns and Catley were contacted for comment.
ABC News
20-06-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Dural caravan inquiry committee explore arrest warrants for NSW staffers over failure to give evidence
Five New South Wales government staffers face possible arrest warrants after defying a summons and not appearing before an Upper House inquiry into the Sydney Dural caravan plot. The five staffers asked to be excused from Friday's hearing in a letter, after being summonsed to give evidence about what and when the state government knew about the plot, after the caravan was found laden with explosives in January amid a spate of antisemitic vandalism. The ABC understands the committee will go to the president of the Legislative Council Ben Franklin to ask if he could request arrest warrants in the NSW Supreme Court. NSW Premier Minns had flagged the staffers — some of who worked for him — would not give evidence on Thursday, calling the inquiry into what the state government did or did not know about the alleged plot a "star chamber". At the state parliament's Macquarie Room on Friday morning, committee members waited to see if the five staffers would turn up, with their empty chairs carefully labelled. Inquiry chair and independent MP Rod Roberts said he was disappointed the witnesses had not turned up, describing it as a "very serious matter" and saying further action will be considered. "I am disappointed in the government's continued efforts to hinder and frustrate the work of this committee and ultimately the role of the legislative council to scrutinise the actions of government." Mr Roberts concluded the hearing with a short statement about the intention behind the staffers being summonsed to appear. "This committee was established to determine whether members of parliament debated and passed hate speech and protest laws through parliament based on misleading or incomplete information." During the committee, Mr Roberts revealed a letter dated June 19 undersigned by staffers and asking to be excused from appearing was received on Thursday. In the letter, the staffers said their giving evidence before the select committee would "be at odds with the principles of ministerial accountability and comity between the House of Parliament". The letter also stated that a separate parliamentary inquiry could also consider the compulsion of ministerial staff to give evidence, suggesting it infringed parliamentary privileged "or otherwise offends principles of our Westminster system of government". The letter ends with the request to be excused from the hearing. Mr Roberts told the hearing he objected to the arguments made in the letter. "It is a fundamental role of the Upper House to hold the government of the day to account." Before concluding the hearing, Mr Roberts said the witnesses scheduled to appear had failed to comply with the summons. The committee is believed to be considering its next step.
Perth Now
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
Arrest threat over inquiry no-shows
The threat of arrest now hangs over five of NSW Premier Chris Minns' top advisers after they refused to front a parliamentary inquiry investigating a suspected terror plot. The five senior ministerial staffers failed to appear before a NSW parliamentary inquiry this morning, prompting the chair of the committee to flag 'further action' in what is fast becoming a major constitutional standoff over executive accountability. The Legislative Council inquiry, chaired by independent MLC Rod Roberts, commenced at 10.45am on Friday but was forced to adjourn for 30 minutes after none of the five summoned witnesses, senior advisers to Premier Chris Minns and Police Minister Yasmin Catley, arrived. Hon Rod Roberts formally acknowledged the no-show and delivered a lengthy statement criticising the government's ongoing resistance to the inquiry. NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard Credit: News Corp Australia The hearing was ultimately abandoned without a vote, after Chair Roberts formally acknowledged the no-show and delivered a lengthy statement criticising the government's ongoing resistance to the inquiry. 'I am disappointed in the government's continued efforts to hinder and frustrate the work of this committee, and ultimately, the role of the Legislative Council to scrutinise the actions of government,' Mr Roberts said. 'The committee will now consider further action in relation to these witnesses under section 7 through 9 of the Parliamentary Evidence Act 1901.' Those summoned included Mr Minns' chief of staff, James Cullen; two senior advisers from the Premier's office, Edward Ovadia and Sarah Michael; and two staffers from Minister Catley's office, Dr Tilly South and Ross Neilson. Their appearance was meant to shed light on who in government knew what, and when, regarding the discovery of an explosives-laden caravan in Sydney's northwest in January. James Cullen, Chief of Staff for Premier Chris Minns, is one of five who were summoned. Picture by Max Mason-Hubers Credit: News Corp Australia The Premier had previously described the incident as a potential 'mass casualty event'. Although the Australian Federal Police later determined it was part of a criminal conspiracy. The circumstances surrounding the government's response, and whether MPs passed sweeping anti-hate laws in February based on incomplete information, remain under intense scrutiny. A letter sent to the committee chair on Thursday and signed by the five staffers outlined their refusal to appear. They argued that attending would breach 'the principles of ministerial accountability and comity between the Houses of Parliament,' particularly while a separate privileges inquiry by the Legislative Assembly is ongoing. The group also took aim at Mr Roberts' earlier media comments, writing: 'Given your comments on breakfast radio yesterday as to the motivation for issuing the summonses, – which make it clear we are 'proxies' because our respective Ministers cannot be compelled as witnesses to the Select Committee – we also consider that they have not been properly issued,' the letter read. 'In light of the above, we invite you not to press for our attendance at the hearing tomorrow.' NSW Premier Chris Minns had previously described the incident as a potential 'mass casualty event'. Although the Australian Federal Police later determined it was part of a criminal conspiracy. Photo: NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard Credit: News Corp Australia Mr Roberts rejected those arguments in his closing statement, asserting the inquiry is properly constituted and that ministerial staff are not exempt from appearing. 'The inquiry seeks to examine the actions of the executive, not members of the Legislative Assembly,' he said. 'The committee is not seeking to sanction ministerial staff for their actions, only to shed lights on the events in the lead-up to the passage of the hate speech and protest laws through parliament. 'The power of committees to summon witnesses and compel them to attend and give evidence is in black and white in the Parliamentary Evidence Act. It is not in doubt.' Local Government Minister Ron Hoenig has previously condemned the inquiry as 'an incursion upon the privilege' of the Legislative Assembly. 'It expressly seeks to scrutinise the discourse of the House, the conduct of its members, be it backbencher or a member of the executive government, while undertaking the primary function entrusted upon them by their constituents which is to legislate,' Mr Hoenig said during Question Time in May. He argued the Legislative Council had overstepped its bounds by summoning ministerial staff and attempting to examine lower house proceedings. Mr Roberts rejected the witnesses arguments, asserting the inquiry is properly constituted and that ministerial staff are not exempt from appearing. NewsWire / Nikki Short Credit: News Corp Australia Despite the controversy, the Legislative Assembly passed a motion 47 to 27 to refer the inquiry's terms to the Standing Committee on Parliamentary Privilege and Ethics. In response, Mr Roberts amended the inquiry's terms to narrow its focus to the passage of relevant bills through the upper house. Mr Hoenig, however, insisted the changes 'did not go far enough'. Opposition MP Alister Henskens said the amendments were sufficient to avoid breaching privilege and labelled the referral motion 'a transparent attempt to frustrate and delay the upper house inquiry'. Greens MP Jenny Leong said it was 'critical' that the Legislative Council was not prevented from doing its work, warning that any 'unreasonable delay' would raise concerns about the Premier and executive trying to 'subvert' the inquiry. Speaker Greg Piper defended the committee's progression, saying the changes were not intended to obstruct but instead 'an opportunity to actually examine the issue, the rights and privilege, the exclusive cognisance of the Legislative Assembly'. The committee has previously heard from senior police officials, including NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb and Deputy Commissioner David Hudson. With Friday's hearing abandoned and potential legal action looming, the inquiry is now at a crossroads.
