Prime minister says gunman Man Haron Monis had been given ‘the benefit of the doubt’ and ‘plainly, this monster should not have been in our community’

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Prime minister Tony Abbott has admitted that the country’s legal system has “let the community down”, after a report into December’s Lindt cafe siege found that government agencies failed to prevent the deadly incident.

The report was co-authored by the secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Michael Thawley, and the secretary of the New South Wales Department of Premier and Cabinet, Blair Comley.

Gunman Man Haron Monis and hostages Katrina Dawson and Tori Johnson died after the 17-hour siege ended in Sydney’s Martin Place on December 16.

It found that “the judgments made by government agencies were reasonable and that the information that should have been available to decision-makers was available”.

The review makes 17 recommendations, including:

Tightening of federal laws in relation to granting and revoking visas and citizenship

Requiring NSW authorities to take links to extremism and terrorism into account in bail decisions

Making states and territories undertake an urgent audit of illegal firearms

The greater use of biometrics in identifying persons of interest

Adequately resourcing referral programs for violent extremists

“The report, having talked to people, having analysed everything that’s on the record, says that the decisions that were made were reasonable enough at the time, but plainly, in their totality, the system has let us down,” Abbott said.

“Whilst the review says that the decisions made by agencies were reasonable in the circumstances they faced, and there were many decisions over many years that were made, I think … despite this, the community has a strong sense, as I do, that the system let them down,” the NSW premier, Mike Baird, told reporters on Sunday.

The review found that Monis had been been on Asio’s radar, but had consistently been deemed not to be a threat to public safety. A full investigation into his activities was conducted by the agency between April 2008 and January 2009.

The review revealed that 18 calls were made by members of the public to the National Security Hotline in relation to posts on Monis’ Facebook page, and yet his threat assessment had not changed.

Asio had investigated Monis as recently as days before the December siege.

“This monster should not have been in our community. He shouldn’t have been allowed into the country. He shouldn’t have been out on bail. He shouldn’t have been with a gun and he shouldn’t have become radicalised. Plainly, all of these things should not have happened,” Abbott said.

Monis arrived in Australia in 1996 on a business visa, and sought asylum within a month of arriving in the country.

He was granted Australian citizenship in 2004, and claimed welfare benefits for a number of years.

Abbott said that Monis had been acting “bizarrely” while on a bridging visa, and that “more checks and scrutiny” were needed in granting visas and citizenship.

He said the Department of Immigration had shifted its focus to border protection since the 1990s when Monis arrived, when the department was more intent on “welcoming people” and “celebrating diversity”.

“We need to re-examine the system and ask ourselves at what stage do we need to change the tipping point from protection of the individual to the safety of the community and that’s exactly what we’re doing,” Abbott said.

The prime minister will address parliament on Monday in relation to national security, and is expected to announce a toughening of immigration and welfare laws.

“We reach out and embrace people but we can’t endlessly tolerate people who have a lend of us,” Abbott said.

Labor said it would support the government on national security matters in a “considered way”.

“I do not believe it is beyond the wit and wisdom of the Australian parliament to get the balance right. If the prime minister has specific measures in mind then we will study that,” opposition leader Bill Shorten said.

“I don’t believe in a simple either or choice. I do not believe this nation can only be safe if we get rid of the liberties of people. Nor do I believe that the liberties of people in every circumstances should trump national security.”

Monis had received treatment from NSW mental health services, and the report finds that “the NSW Chief Psychiatrist has reviewed the medical documentation and concluded that at no time in his multiple encounters with mental health professionals was Monis assessed to represent a potential risk to others or to himself”.

It also found that “at no time was it necessary to admit him to hospital for treatment of mental illness, or for him to receive coercive or more restrictive care”.

A coronial inquiry will examine what weapon Monis used in the siege, which the prime minister labelled “a terrible brush with politically-motivated violence”.

“It appears that the firearm used by Monis may have entered Australia lawfully and became a ‘grey market’ firearm when not returned as part of the 1996 National Buy Back program,” the report states.

Monis, who had been granted bail in relation to the murder of his ex-wife, did not hold a valid gun licence at the time of the siege.

He did hold a security guard licence from 1997 to 2000 which would have allowed him to carry a weapon while on duty as a security guard, however those laws have subsequently changed.

“Everything is on the table. I’m happy to look at any measure we need to take to reduce the illegal firearms in our community,” Baird said.

He also signalled a tightening on bail conditions.

“If someone is identified as a terror suspect and if they are intercepted in the NSW judicial system and they are charged with a serious offence, I have a view they should not be provided bail in that circumstance,” Baird said.

“We have to work through how that is effected and we will be working that through with agencies, the police, the federal authorities to make sure that’s the case, but I have a strong sense that that is one of the things that we need to be doing as part of this,” he said.

The NSW premier said a permanent memorial to the victims and hostages of the siege will be erected by the first anniversary of the incident.