‘An attack on all Australians’: Minister condemns Perth Invasion Day bomb attempt

Minister for Indigenous Australians Senator Malarndirri McCarthy has condemned the attempted bombing of a Perth Invasion Day rally as “an attack on the social cohesion of the Australian community” and “an attack on all Australians”.

In a Senate statement on 3 February, Senator McCarthy detailed how around 2,500 people (led by First Nations families and supported by non‑Indigenous allies) gathered peacefully at Forrest Place in Perth on 26 January to protest ongoing injustices such as homelessness, incarceration, and poor health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

As a Noongar Elder addressed the crowd, a man allegedly threw an object from a nearby balcony. Police later confirmed it was an improvised explosive device (IED) packed with metal ball bearings and screws around an explosive chemical compound. Counter‑terrorism expert Professor Mark Briskey told media the design was similar to devices used by terrorist groups overseas, a warning echoed in early reporting by national outlets.

“It’s only by chance that the device didn’t detonate and cause mass casualties” Senator McCarthy said, noting eyewitness accounts that it landed in an area reserved for people in wheelchairs and families with babies in prams. The Western Australia Joint Counter Terrorism Team is investigating the incident as a potential terrorist act, and a 31‑year‑old man has been charged and remains in custody.

In parliament, Senator McCarthy was blunt about the broader implications. “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” she said. “This was an attack on the social cohesion of the Australian community. It was an attack on all Australians.”

“The Albanese Government condemns this sickening and abhorrent incident” she said. “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.”

Senator McCarthy pointed to new Commonwealth legislation passed last month to “target acts of hatred, designed to disrupt our social cohesion”, which strengthens protections against serious vilification on the basis of race and ethnicity. As a Yanyuwa Garawa woman, she warned that “where hateful narratives spread, violence does follow, and generations can be devastated,” but stressed that “First Nations Australians will not be cowed by this violence from exercising their rights, and from being proud of who they are”.

The attack comes against a backdrop of persistent racism and discrimination. National health and welfare data show that around one in four First Nations adults reported being treated unfairly in the previous year due to their Indigenous status, with impacts on mental health and participation in community life. At the same time, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population is young and growing, with 812,728 people identified in the 2021 Census – (3.2 per cent of the national population) and a median age of 24.

As the investigation continues, Senator McCarthy urged parliament to maintain “consistent focus and condemnation” whenever cohesion is attacked. “We won’t stop in our efforts to protect social cohesion in Australia” she said.