The NSW premier, Chris Minns, says staff in his office may not have been notified in advance about Saturday’s neo-Nazi rally by parliamentary security “because it was on the weekend”.
The premier said his department’s secretary would look into changes to security procedures after it emerged other senior parliamentary figures and police were warned about the rally on Macquarie Street.
Minns said his permanent secretary, Simon Draper, had not been told in advance about Saturday’s rally.
The event saw more than 60 members of a known neo-Nazi group gather outside parliament bearing a banner calling for the abolition of the “Jewish Lobby”. People also allegedly shouted Nazi slogans and chants.
“The information [about the rally] was provided from police to parliamentary security [and] to the security that’s responsible for 52 Martin Place and the premier’s department,” Minns told reporters on Wednesday.
“They knew about it, but didn’t share it with staff, members of parliament, public officials or bureaucrats. They should have known, we should have known.”
The premier, the NSW police minister, Yasmin Catley, and the police commissioner, Mal Lanyon, have insisted they did not find out about the rally until after it happened.
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The NSW speaker, Greg Piper, has revealed his staff were told about the rally by parliamentary security on Friday. He said he unsuccessfully attempted to have it relocated.
The police deputy commissioner Peter Thurtell has apologised after admitting he knew in advance about Saturday’s rally, which was approved by local police. The Sydney Morning Herald reported police intelligence officers were also aware.
On Wednesday, the office of the president of the NSW Legislative Council, Ben Franklin, said it had been warned in advance.
“The president’s office received a group email from the DPS security manager on Thursday afternoon notifying of the planned protest,” a spokesperson said. “We will not be providing further comment on security matters.”
On Wednesday, Minns said the timing of the rally may have been the reason his staff members were not notified.
“If I were to speculate, I would suggest it was because it was on the weekend,” the premier said.
“The truth of the matter is, people work on the weekend, and people come into the office on the weekend. So, a glaring oversight. It’s a reason, not an excuse, and one that we need to fix as soon as possible.”
A spokesperson for NSW parliamentary security said “responses and procedures were appropriately carried out to ensure the safety of those within the precinct”.
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“The parliament’s security branch was notified by NSW police in advance of Saturday’s planned rally, as it is with all protests approved by police in the vicinity of the parliamentary precinct.”
Guardian Australia put questions to parliamentary security on Monday about whether it had advised anyone in the premier’s office about Saturday’s rally in advance. It did not respond, saying it could not comment on security matters.
On Monday, Minns told reporters a review into Saturday’s event, as well as another by the same group outside parliament in June, “would look at what communication took place between police and the premier’s department and the premier’s office”.
“I don’t know whether an email, an errant email in the scores of communications, referenced either of the rallies in the previous months. We’ll have a closer look at that.”
Minns reiterated to reporters on Tuesday that he and his staff found out about the rally “after the event had taken place and journalists contacted us”.
“I’m suggesting to you that the communications did break down.
“We need to make changes. But if we’re going to go on to: ‘Well, we secretly knew’ – it’s just not the case.”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: theguardian.com
