‘Incredibly Concerning’: Terror Plot Against Dutton

The plot has raised questions about the security of politicians during an election campaign.

Leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton at a press conference after visiting the Cougar Mining Equipment facility in Tomago in the Hunter Valley on day 3 of his 2025 federal election campaign in the seat of Paterson, in New South Wales, Australia on March 31, 2025. AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has described an alleged terror plot against Peter Dutton as “incredibly concerning” and says such threats must not become the new normal in Australian politics.

This comes after a 16-year-old was charged after allegedly preparing to launch a terror attack with homemade bomb ingredients on Dutton at his residence in Queensland.

The teenager, who was reportedly arrested in 2024 for buying and testing bomb ingredients, now faces federal charges for allegedly planning a terrorist act.

“This is Australia. This is the best country in the world. We are a free, fair open democracy. We expect this sort of thing to happen overseas but never here,” Ley said on Sunrise.

Ley expressed empathy for Dutton, especially in light of his father suffering a recent heart health scare.

Ley expressed faith in Australia’s police and justice system to manage the situation but urged Australians to remain vigilant.

“We can’t let this become the new normal in Australia. We need to be strong against this radicalism. Strong every single day,” she said.

Education Minister Jason Clare confirmed that security for politicians had increased during the election campaign.

“This is before the courts so I won’t comment specifically on this case, but in a democracy, you make your arguments with words, not weapons, and we’ve been very very lucky,” Clare said.

He agreed with Ley that Australia has been relatively fortunate compared to the rest of the world.

“We have been lucky that we haven’t seen in Australia what’s happened in the UK or the U.S,” he said.

Clare expressed that politicians should be able to feel comfortable engaging with the community during the election campaign.

“In an election campaign as politicians, we are out there talking to people. We want to hope that if people want to come to us and have a chat they can. If they don’t like us, they mumble something under their breath or cross the road, but you never want to see you know the sort of threats of physical violence or real political violence happen like we’ve seen overseas,” he added.

Albanese, Dutton Reflect on Alleged Terror Plot

Australia is now about to enter the third week of the election campaign after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the election for May 3.

The campaign has already seen economic turbulence, including being rattled by the impact of the Trump tariffs on local markets, with the S&P/ASX 200 benchmark index falling dramatically at the start of the week before bouncing back.

Opposition leader Dutton, who was campaigning on April 11 in Western Australia (WA), thanked the federal police for their work in response to the terror threat and expressed empathy for his family.

“My thoughts were always first in relation to my family,” he told reporters.

“There’s been an impact on my family but they’ve been stoic and have never complained about the security that’s been around me and my family. The police at home and the AFP have been an absolute massive help.”

He is fighting for the seat of Tangney in WA, which Labor holds by 2.8 percent after taking it from the Coalition at the 2022 election.

While the election campaign still has weeks to go, recent YouGov polling shows Labor in the lead over the Coalition, ahead 52.5 to 47.5.

Dutton promised to repeal Labor’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) “tax on family cars and utes” on April 11.

Albanese also addressed the matter, revealing he had reached out to Dutton personally and acknowledged the growing number of threats faced by parliamentarians.

“I’ve reached out to Peter Dutton this morning, and it is a fact that the number of threats that have been made to parliamentarians has increased in recent times,” Albanese told reporters.

Albanese expressed confidence in Australian authorities including the AFP, but also revealed he had been the subject of a serious security threat.

“I myself have been the subject of a range of issues, at least one of which is before legal processes,” he told reporters.

On the same day, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was campaigning in Darwin, where he announced a new health and aged care plan for the Northern Territory.