Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese was evacuated from his primary official residence on Tuesday and moved to another location for several hours after a bomb threat.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) said it responded to an “alleged security incident”, but nothing suspicious was located in the search. Mr Albanese was evacuated from The Lodge, his official residence in the capital Canberra, at 6pm.
“A thorough search of a protection establishment was undertaken and nothing suspicious was located,” the AFP said in a statement. “There is no current threat to the community or public safety.”
Commenting publicly for the first time on Wednesday about the security scare at his residence, Mr Albanese urged Australians to “turn the heat down”.
“I think it’s just a reminder to take every opportunity to tell people turn the heat down, for goodness sake, we can’t take these things for granted, just turn it down,” Mr Albanese said.
Local media reports confirmed that the evacuation was linked to a threat sent in a letter over upcoming performances in Australia by a classical Chinese dance and music group that remains banned in China. The letter claimed that explosives had been planted around The Lodge and would detonate if the government went ahead with the performances by Shen Yun, a performance group which is linked with the Falun Gong religious movement, which is banned in China, according to reports.
The Shen Yun group is set to hold several concerts in Australia over the coming month.
The email was sent to the local organisers of the group, who then relayed it to the Australian police on Tuesday, prompting evacuation, local media reported.
It marked the latest threat in the series of politically motivated warnings against parliamentarians in recent years. According to the federal police, there were 950 such incidents that were investigated between 2024 to 2025.
Opposition leader Angus Taylor said he was relieved to know the prime minister was safe after evacuating.
“Threats against any parliamentarian are utterly abhorrent, especially in a country built on expressing our differences through debate,” he said on social media.
