The attempted alleged bombing of an Invasion Day rally in Perth has sparked a federal parliamentary inquiry into racism, hate and violence directed at Indigenous people.

Police allege Liam Alexander Hall, 32, tossed what they described as a homemade “fragment bomb” filled with ball bearings and screws into the crowd in the heart of Perth’s CBD on January 26.

Mr Hall was the first person in Western Australia’s history to be charged with a terrorism offence. 

Police speak to a man wearing a black butterfly print T-shirt, baseball cap and face mask

Police speak to Liam Alexander Hall on the day of the Perth Invasion Day Rally. (ABC News: Kitty Byrne-Hemsley)

WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch has said prosecutors will allege it “was a nationalist and racially motivated, attack … targeting members of the Aboriginal community, First Nations people”.

Now, a Labor-dominated federal joint standing committee has launched an inquiry into the nature, prevalence and impact of racism, hate and violence towards First Nations people.

It is expected to explore the role social media plays in that, and discuss initiatives to combat racism and reduce harm.

The inquiry’s terms of reference also allow it to probe the threat posed by ideologically motivated extremism towards First Nations people and the role of intelligence and law enforcement agencies in protecting the community from that threat.

A police car parked in a pedestrian mall seen from a distance.

A police car blocking public access to the Murray Street Mall in Perth after a bomb scare at an Invasion Day rally. (ABC News: Keane Bourke)

Call for submissions

The Invasion Day rally alleged terror act saw an outpouring of anger and sorrow from the Indigenous community in WA and beyond, with some calling for swift action from politicians.

First Nations leaders welcome Invasion Day rally terror probe

First Nations leaders say WA Police’s investigation of Monday’s alleged Invasion Day rally attack as “a potential terrorist attack” is a step in the right direction.

Independent senator Lidia Thorpe called for a comprehensive inquiry into any possible “policing and intelligence failures” and the perpetrator’s motivation.

Meanwhile, others called for the existing Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion to be expanded to include hatred levelled at Indigenous people.

The inquiry announced today will not have the broad powers of that review, and is dominated by Labor MPs.

But the committee’s chair, Senator Jana Stewart, said she expected the review to “identify practical actions for combatting racism”.

“If we are serious about community safety, we must confront the environment in which hatred grows,” she said in a statement.

Public submissions to the inquiry can be made by May 1, with a report expected later in the year.

Long-term issue

Noongar woman and Curtin Law School associate professor Hannah McGlade said the inquiry’s focus was a serious issue that Aboriginal people had been facing for a long time.

“It is clear that there have been a number of inquiries into very important Aboriginal issues in recent years,” she said.

“I think without that real commitment and actions on voice, treaty and truth, we’re not going to be able to adequately tackle racism and racist violence in this country.

“It’s going to continue to grow and harm and impact Aboriginal people on a daily basis.”

Dr McGlade said she wanted to see the government effectively tackle racism, including investment into research around the extent of racism and discrimination Aboriginal people were experiencing.

A woman in a blouse stands looking seriously at the camera.

Hannah McGlade is a legal academic and practitioner with special interest in Indigenous human rights. (ABC News: James Carmody)

“It really is about increasing our efforts to prevent racism in the first place, but also respecting Aboriginal people’s rights as First Nations peoples,” she said.

“Unfortunately, there hasn’t been a strong commitment of the federal government following the referendum’s defeat.”

Dr McGlade said a number of Senate inquiries into Aboriginal issues had not seen follow-up.

“The lack of implementation of the inquiry into the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is concerning,” she said.

“We’re a country that says we uphold human rights and respect the rights of Indigenous peoples, but we’re not taking these steps that we need to, to make sure that those rights are actually being recognised in Australia.”