Dangerous conspiracy theories ‘translate into real-world violence’

Australia needs to learn from Queensland’s 2022 Wieambilla terrorist attack to deal with dangerous conspiracy theories, an extremism expert has warned after two Victorian police were shot dead in the state’s alpine region on Tuesday.

Police were executing a warrant at a Porepunkah property near the base of Mount Buffalo when two officers were shot dead and a third was wounded.

The alleged gunman is believed to be a self-proclaimed “sovereign citizen” with a hatred of police. Locals have described the man, 56-year-old Dezi Freeman, as having become increasingly erratic during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Freeman remained on the run and heavily armed on Tuesday night.

Asked about his apparent conspiratorial beliefs, Premier Jacinta Allan said it was far too early to comment, particularly while he remained at large.

ASIO and the Australian Federal Police have both sounded warnings about the threat of anti-government conspiracy theorists as well as far-right fringe groups.

Further information is needed about Tuesday’s shooting, though early signs point to eerie similarities to the 2022 killing of two police at a remote property outside the town of Wieambilla in Queensland.

Asked about the comparison, Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush said it was early in the investigation. “Please keep an open mind.”

In the Wieambilla incident, Gareth, Nathaniel and Stacey Train shot and killed police constables Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow, as well as neighbour Alan Dare, before being killed by members of the police special emergency response team.

The Trains engaged in conspiracies and Gareth had declared himself a sovereign citizen. Queensland Police and ASIO declared the incident a terrorist attack motivated by a Christian violent extremist ideology.

An inquest is yet to report its findings on the case.

Dr Josh Roose, a Deakin University associate professor who studies political violence and was an expert witness in the Wieambilla inquest, said more information was needed about the Porepunkah shooting and that it was important not to speculate.

But he said those who followed the sovereign citizen movement lived on the fringes generally and primarily believed that laws and the government are illegitimate and subordinating people.

Roose said the radical fringe movement had a long history of violence, particularly in the United States, that was almost always directed at law enforcement.

“They believe that it’s important to not only live independently of government, but to arm themselves to resist, to resist any form of authority, whenever it is brought down upon them,” Roose said.

He said the radical fringe beliefs took off during COVID-19, particularly in the regions and in rural areas, and that more needed to be done to stem the potential threat. This could include more rural outreach workers as well as stronger monitoring of what people say online, Roose said.

“A lot of this stuff does translate into real-world violence.”

Bush said 10 officers had arrived to execute the search warrant at the Porepunkah property, which he said spoke to the gravity of their assessment of the risks. The man was previously known to police.

The chief commissioner said the force had every resource dedicated to finding him.

ASIO chief Mike Burgess has warned about conspiracies and anti-authority beliefs in annual threat assessments and reports.

“COVID and its associated lockdowns fuelled and accelerated spikes in grievance, conspiracy and anti-authority beliefs,” Burgess said in February this year.

In 2022, in the months before the Wieambilla shooting, the AFP said sovereign citizens were organised and co-opting or overlapping with other fringe groups such as anti-vaccination activists and the far right.

“While different to other extremist groups, the potential for violence, fixation and harassment exists within these groups,” a briefing document, first obtained by Crikey under freedom-of-information laws, said.

“Sovereign citizen groups in Australia tend to operate with a confidence that they are morally and legally justified in their beliefs and actions, and/or with a confidence that they will be vindicated once the government is deposed.”

The federal government, in the wake of the Wieambilla incident, said it would investigate ways to prevent extremists from becoming violent.

Then-home affairs minister Clare O’Neil said new policy responses, including legislation, would be needed to help prevent people with extremist views from turning to violence.

A national firearms register was established in the 2024 federal budget.

On Tuesday night, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the threat of sovereign citizens and extremist ideologies must be taken seriously and referencing Wieambilla.

“We saw a tragic loss of life in Queensland as well previously, and I attended the funeral service – which was so sad – of the officers there,” Albanese said on ABC 7.30.

“We know that the Director General of ASIO has warned about far-right extremism. This is something that has permeated other nations as well. We see it being multiplied in the United States.

“The fact that this ideology of not seeing themselves being subject to our laws and our society. We’ve seen people here, in Canberra as well, put forward those positions, who have demonstrated outside the Parliament.

“And it is of real concern, and ASIO have warned that this threat is very real, and that we need to be very vigilant about it.”

With Cameron Houston, Melissa Cunningham and Angus Delaney

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.