Minister for Indigenous Australians
I rise to condemn the sickening attack on an Invasion Day rally in Perth last week.
On the 26th of January, First Nations families and non-Indigenous supporters gathered at Forrest Place.
In peaceful protest, exercising their democratic right to make their voices heard.
First Nations people leading 2,500 Australians of all walks of life.
Waving the Aboriginal flag - a national flag - and holding banners about serious issues facing First Nations Australians:
Homelessness. Incarceration. Health outcomes.
Many of us have seen the released footage of what happened next.
As a Noongar Elder was addressing the crowd, a man threw an object from a nearby balcony.
From police description - it's a miracle that footage wasn't very different.
Police have confirmed that the item thrown was an improvised explosive device.
Metal ball bearings and screws, wrapped around an explosive liquid compound of chemicals.
We've heard from experts in the media in recent days about the device's destructive potential.
Professor Mark Briskey, a counter-terrorism expert from Murdoch University has worked on investigations alongside the AFP and FBI.
He described the similarity between this device and others used by terrorists to kill in other countries.
It's only by chance that the device didn't detonate and cause mass casualties.
Eyewitnesses have said the device landed in an area reserved for the most vulnerable.
People in wheelchairs.
Babies in prams.
We narrowly avoided a catastrophic disaster.
The Western Australia Joint Counter Terrorism Team is investigating the incident as a potential terrorist act.
A man has been charged over the incident and remains in custody - and this remains an ongoing investigation
We must call this attack out for what it is.
What we saw in Perth last Monday was an attempted bombing of a peaceful First Nations rally, led by First Nations Australians and their allies.
This was an attack on the social cohesion of the Australian community.
It was an attack on all Australians.
When our social cohesion is attacked - all of us in this chamber - the Government, the Opposition and the crossbench must apply consistent focus and condemnation.
Words carry meaning.
And our Government will not be silent.
The Albanese Government condemns this sickening and abhorrent incident.
An attack on First Nations Australians is an attack on all Australians.
First Nations Australians, like all Australians, must be able to gather peacefully without fearing for our safety.
There is no place for hate, intimidation or racism of any form in Australia.
We will continue to take action.
Last month - we legislated to target acts of hatred, designed to disrupt our social cohesion.
That legislation better protects Australians of all racial and ethnic backgrounds - including First Nations Australians - from hateful attacks.
As Minister for Indigenous Australians - and as a Yanyuwa Garrwa woman - I understand the importance of our work to eradicate violent hate all too well.
First Nations Australians have come to understand that where hateful narratives spread, violence does follow, and generations can be devastated.
I'm hearing from First Nations people in Western Australia and around the country and they are deeply concerned.
So many are scared.
Many are despairing.
But First Nations Australians will not be cowed by this violence from exercising their rights, and from being proud of who they are.
We won't stop in our efforts to protect social cohesion in Australia.
On behalf of the Government, I sincerely extend my condolences to those shaken by these events: to the many people I've spoken to, Noongar families and allies who were protesting that day.
We reach out to you to support you.
We will not stop in our efforts to ensure that First Nations Australians, and all Australians, live in safety.
