Security experts explain how protesters stormed parliament roof

Pro-Palestinian protesters who breached Parliament security to hang banners on the roof are “no longer welcome in this building,” House Speaker Milton Dick said. “Today’s protesters have been punished,” he said during Thursday’s question period. “They have been banned.”

On Thursday morning, police rushed to Parliament House in Canberra after a handful of protesters climbed onto the roof to hold up huge banners reading “No peace on stolen land”, “War crimes are allowed here” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”.

Officers were visible at the front of the building, monitoring the group as stunned visitors, including schoolchildren, walked past them watching the protesters as they entered Parliament, a tourist hotspot in the nation’s capital.

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Four protesters have since been arrested and the unrest has calmed down.

Security expert Lincoln Parker, a former chair of the Liberal Party’s defence and national security policy arm, told SkyNews.com.au the security breach was a reflection of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s approach to national security.

“There is too much talk and no action, which in this case has led to pro-Palestinian protesters being able to scale the exterior of Parliament and even go inside to stick to the ground,” Mr Parker said.

“With a huge security budget, it is particularly troubling that such a major security breach has occurred when we expect our Prime Minister to be able to at least manage simple security procedures – especially at the heart of our democracy.

“How can we be sure that the Prime Minister is protecting us when even our Parliament is vulnerable to such amateur attacks? How sure are we that our critical infrastructure is secure?”

Mr Parker said the breach came in a week when Mr Albanese “snubbed” an invitation to the NATO summit in Washington and sent “Australia’s smallest military contingent” to the Rim of the Pacific war exercises in Hawaii.

“The key question for Australians now is when will the Prime Minister stand up for Australia, our values ​​and our allies. This incident highlights not just a failure of security, but a failure of leadership,” Mr Parker said.

Scott Taylor, a security, safety and risk specialist and chief executive of Praesidium Risk and Resilience, said it was “highly likely” the security breach at Parliament was “planned or coordinated” at the same time as a climate protest was taking place inside.

Mr Taylor said the dual protest would “split the focus” of response resources and personnel.

Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) director of strategic policing and enforcement Dr John Coyne told SkyNews.com.au the main question raised by the breach would be whether more AFP officers would be needed to patrol the grounds of Parliament House during sitting weeks.

“Effective physical security is based on several principles, including defense in depth, which relies on multiple layers of security, each designed to delay and detect intruders,” Dr. Coyne said.

“Second, the best physical security measures, such as cameras, fences and walls, depend on the presence of a response force. In this case, AFP officers must respond to threats such as protesters. On the face of it, the security improvements, while important, appear to have been let down by a response force that is limited in capacity.

“It appears that the first group of protesters fully challenged the police, while the second group then had time to climb the tower before anyone could arrive in time to arrest them. The question that will therefore need to be answered will be whether more AFP officers are needed during the weeks of the siege.”

Mr Albanese said during the question and answer session that protests had an “important place in our society” but that Thursday morning’s demonstration was “not a peaceful protest”.

“These actions have done absolutely nothing to advance any cause, on the contrary, they have harmed the cause that those engaging in this reckless activity believe they are advancing,” he said.

“They should face the full force of the law.”