Premier's staff do an about-face after arrest threat
The NSW premier's right-hand man will be spared arrest after he and fellow staffers gave in to demands to face up to a hate crimes inquiry centred on an explosive-laden caravan.
Empty chairs at an otherwise routine inquiry into the passage of religious hate laws led upper house MPs to call for the arrest of five staff in the offices of NSW Premier Chris Minns and Police Minister Yasmin Catley.
While the premier defended his staff's position over the weekend, chief-of-staff James Cullen and his four colleagues did an about-face on Wednesday.
That followed legal advice to upper house president Ben Franklin, confirming he could seek the staffers' arrest.
"I was intending to advise the house that I would be certifying to a judge of the Supreme Court ... that the witnesses have failed to appear before the committee without a just and reasonable excuse," Mr Franklin told the parliament on Wednesday morning.
"I have subsequently been advised that the five witnesses have reconsidered their position and have agreed to attend a hearing to provide evidence voluntarily."
Mr Franklin sought legal advice from eminent barrister Bret Walker SC, which affirmed the president was within his rights to seek arrest warrants for the staffers failing to appear.
The premier and minister, as members of parliament's lower house, cannot be compelled to appear.
Mr Cullen, his two deputies and two senior staff in Ms Catley's office are due to appear at a new hearing on Friday morning.
The inquiry was formed to probe the passage of protest and speech laws rushed through parliament in February after explosives, anti-Semitic messaging and a list of addresses of Jewish people and institutions were found inside a caravan at Dural in Sydney's northwest in January.
Investigators later revealed the discovery was part of a "criminal con job".
Committee member Sue Higginson said the inquiry expected new evidence to come to light as a result of the staffers' appearance.
"People's evidence brings a different perspective which helps to ascertain a fuller picture of what did happen and who knew what at what point in time," she told AAP.
Mr Minns was scathing of the committee's actions in pursuing the appearance of his staff on Wednesday morning.
His office also pointed to numerous statements by the committee chair Rod Roberts, calling for stronger hate crime laws ahead of their passage in February.
"We've really got to scrutinise whether this is the right chamber for this," Mr Minns said.
"There's just gross hypocrisy and political bias."
The NSW premier's right-hand man will be spared arrest after he and fellow staffers gave in to demands to face up to a hate crimes inquiry centred on an explosive-laden caravan.
Empty chairs at an otherwise routine inquiry into the passage of religious hate laws led upper house MPs to call for the arrest of five staff in the offices of NSW Premier Chris Minns and Police Minister Yasmin Catley.
While the premier defended his staff's position over the weekend, chief-of-staff James Cullen and his four colleagues did an about-face on Wednesday.
That followed legal advice to upper house president Ben Franklin, confirming he could seek the staffers' arrest.
"I was intending to advise the house that I would be certifying to a judge of the Supreme Court ... that the witnesses have failed to appear before the committee without a just and reasonable excuse," Mr Franklin told the parliament on Wednesday morning.
"I have subsequently been advised that the five witnesses have reconsidered their position and have agreed to attend a hearing to provide evidence voluntarily."
Mr Franklin sought legal advice from eminent barrister Bret Walker SC, which affirmed the president was within his rights to seek arrest warrants for the staffers failing to appear.
The premier and minister, as members of parliament's lower house, cannot be compelled to appear.
Mr Cullen, his two deputies and two senior staff in Ms Catley's office are due to appear at a new hearing on Friday morning.
The inquiry was formed to probe the passage of protest and speech laws rushed through parliament in February after explosives, anti-Semitic messaging and a list of addresses of Jewish people and institutions were found inside a caravan at Dural in Sydney's northwest in January.
Investigators later revealed the discovery was part of a "criminal con job".
Committee member Sue Higginson said the inquiry expected new evidence to come to light as a result of the staffers' appearance.
"People's evidence brings a different perspective which helps to ascertain a fuller picture of what did happen and who knew what at what point in time," she told AAP.
Mr Minns was scathing of the committee's actions in pursuing the appearance of his staff on Wednesday morning.
His office also pointed to numerous statements by the committee chair Rod Roberts, calling for stronger hate crime laws ahead of their passage in February.
"We've really got to scrutinise whether this is the right chamber for this," Mr Minns said.
"There's just gross hypocrisy and political bias."
The NSW premier's right-hand man will be spared arrest after he and fellow staffers gave in to demands to face up to a hate crimes inquiry centred on an explosive-laden caravan.
Empty chairs at an otherwise routine inquiry into the passage of religious hate laws led upper house MPs to call for the arrest of five staff in the offices of NSW Premier Chris Minns and Police Minister Yasmin Catley.
While the premier defended his staff's position over the weekend, chief-of-staff James Cullen and his four colleagues did an about-face on Wednesday.
That followed legal advice to upper house president Ben Franklin, confirming he could seek the staffers' arrest.
"I was intending to advise the house that I would be certifying to a judge of the Supreme Court ... that the witnesses have failed to appear before the committee without a just and reasonable excuse," Mr Franklin told the parliament on Wednesday morning.
"I have subsequently been advised that the five witnesses have reconsidered their position and have agreed to attend a hearing to provide evidence voluntarily."
Mr Franklin sought legal advice from eminent barrister Bret Walker SC, which affirmed the president was within his rights to seek arrest warrants for the staffers failing to appear.
The premier and minister, as members of parliament's lower house, cannot be compelled to appear.
Mr Cullen, his two deputies and two senior staff in Ms Catley's office are due to appear at a new hearing on Friday morning.
The inquiry was formed to probe the passage of protest and speech laws rushed through parliament in February after explosives, anti-Semitic messaging and a list of addresses of Jewish people and institutions were found inside a caravan at Dural in Sydney's northwest in January.
Investigators later revealed the discovery was part of a "criminal con job".
Committee member Sue Higginson said the inquiry expected new evidence to come to light as a result of the staffers' appearance.
"People's evidence brings a different perspective which helps to ascertain a fuller picture of what did happen and who knew what at what point in time," she told AAP.
Mr Minns was scathing of the committee's actions in pursuing the appearance of his staff on Wednesday morning.
His office also pointed to numerous statements by the committee chair Rod Roberts, calling for stronger hate crime laws ahead of their passage in February.
"We've really got to scrutinise whether this is the right chamber for this," Mr Minns said.
"There's just gross hypocrisy and political bias."
The NSW premier's right-hand man will be spared arrest after he and fellow staffers gave in to demands to face up to a hate crimes inquiry centred on an explosive-laden caravan.
Empty chairs at an otherwise routine inquiry into the passage of religious hate laws led upper house MPs to call for the arrest of five staff in the offices of NSW Premier Chris Minns and Police Minister Yasmin Catley.
While the premier defended his staff's position over the weekend, chief-of-staff James Cullen and his four colleagues did an about-face on Wednesday.
That followed legal advice to upper house president Ben Franklin, confirming he could seek the staffers' arrest.
"I was intending to advise the house that I would be certifying to a judge of the Supreme Court ... that the witnesses have failed to appear before the committee without a just and reasonable excuse," Mr Franklin told the parliament on Wednesday morning.
"I have subsequently been advised that the five witnesses have reconsidered their position and have agreed to attend a hearing to provide evidence voluntarily."
Mr Franklin sought legal advice from eminent barrister Bret Walker SC, which affirmed the president was within his rights to seek arrest warrants for the staffers failing to appear.
The premier and minister, as members of parliament's lower house, cannot be compelled to appear.
Mr Cullen, his two deputies and two senior staff in Ms Catley's office are due to appear at a new hearing on Friday morning.
The inquiry was formed to probe the passage of protest and speech laws rushed through parliament in February after explosives, anti-Semitic messaging and a list of addresses of Jewish people and institutions were found inside a caravan at Dural in Sydney's northwest in January.
Investigators later revealed the discovery was part of a "criminal con job".
Committee member Sue Higginson said the inquiry expected new evidence to come to light as a result of the staffers' appearance.
"People's evidence brings a different perspective which helps to ascertain a fuller picture of what did happen and who knew what at what point in time," she told AAP.
Mr Minns was scathing of the committee's actions in pursuing the appearance of his staff on Wednesday morning.
His office also pointed to numerous statements by the committee chair Rod Roberts, calling for stronger hate crime laws ahead of their passage in February.
"We've really got to scrutinise whether this is the right chamber for this," Mr Minns said.
"There's just gross hypocrisy and political bias."
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