Prime Minister evacuated from The Lodge in Canberra after security threat
Updated ,first published
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was forced to be evacuated from his Canberra residence, the Lodge, while police searched the premises following a security threat.
Albanese was only able to return to the heavily fortified house near parliament after 9 p.m., three hours after the threat first emerged.
The nature of the threat was not made public.
A federal police spokesman said they responded to “an alleged security incident” at 6 p.m.
“An extensive search of the containment facility has been launched and is still ongoing,” he said.
“There is no current threat to the community or public safety.”
Government sources said the threat was probably not real. However, due to the increase in extremist and violent threats against MPs, the police had to take this seriously.
The AFP received 951 referrals or threats against parliamentarians in the 2024-25 financial year; This figure has increased by 63 percent in the last four years.
Both ASIO chief Mike Burgess and former AFP commissioner Reece Kershaw have recently highlighted the increasing risks to politicians. Kershaw told the Senate Estimates committee last year that “the politicians targeted were from different parts of the political spectrum, lived all over Australia and had different backgrounds”.
The Prime Minister has repeatedly called on political actors and citizens to “turn down the heat” of debate, especially on divisive issues such as immigration, race and the conflict in Gaza.
Paul Sakkal is the chief political correspondent. It has previously covered Victorian politics and won the Walkley and Quill awards. Reach him securely on Signal @paulsakkal.14Connect with: X or email.
