PERTH (Australia): A federal enquiry has been launched into anti-Indigenous racism in Australia in the wake of the alleged attempted terrorist attack on an Invasion Day rally in Perth in January 2026.
A federal joint standing committee will probe the nature, prevalence and impact of racism, hate and violence towards First Nations people in Australia. It is expected to explore the role social media plays, and discuss initiatives to combat racism and reduce harm. The inquiry’s terms of reference also allow it to probe the threat posed by ideologically motivated extremism towards First Nations people and the role of intelligence and law enforcement agencies in protecting the community from that threat.
There was an outpouring of anger and sorrow from the Indigenous community across the country after the alleged attempted terror attack on the Invasion Day rally.
Earlier, a man was last month charged with terrorism for the alleged terror attack. He allegedly threw an explosive device at the crowd protesting the celebration of Australia Day in Perth in January 2026. The 31-year-old man was detained after hurling what the police described as a homemade “fragment bomb” filled with ball bearings and screws into the crowd of around 2,500 persons in the heart of Perth’s central business district during the rally. The crowd had gathered to support the indigenous community. The device failed to explode, but it could have resulted in a mass casualty event, authorities said.
Police had already charged the man with committing an unlawful act with intent to harm, and making or possessing explosives under suspicious circumstances. The terrorism charge was added later. It carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. This is the first time that an individual has been charged with terrorism in Western Australia’s history.
Australia Day is a national holiday that marks the landing in 1788 of Britain’s First Fleet in Sydney Cove, which signaled the start of Australia’s colonization. For many Indigenous Australians and their supporters, it is known as Invasion Day.
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