Foreign affairs building evacuation over unattended bag underlines jitters after Sydney siege | Australia news | The GuardianForeign affairs building evacuation over unattended bag underlines jitters after Sydney siege | Australia news | The Guardian










Close






Skip to main content

 









sign in








subscribe









search




jobs






more


from the guardian:


jobs


change edition:



switch to the UK edition


switch to the AU edition







US edition




switch to the UK edition




switch to the Australia edition













The Guardian


Winner of the Pulitzer prize











home


›
world


›
australia




UK


europe


americas


asia


middle east


africa










home




US




world
selected




opinion




sports




soccer




tech




arts




lifestyle




fashion




business




money




travel




environment







browse all sections
close







 











Australian security and counter-terrorism



Foreign affairs building evacuation over unattended bag underlines jitters after Sydney siege









An unattended backpack, later deemed to be safe, led to the led to the evacuation of Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra














Hundreds of staff were evacuated from Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade headquarters. Photograph: Daniel Hurst/Guardian




Daniel Hurst, political correspondent






@danielhurstbne





Tuesday 16 December 2014 03.07 EST







Share on Facebook







Share on Twitter







Share via Email







Share on LinkedIn







Share on Google+







Share on WhatsApp
















An unattended backpack led to the evacuation of Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Dfat) in Canberra on Tuesday, underlining heightened security fears after the deadly Sydney siege.
Australian Capital Territory Policing said they followed standard procedures in evacuating Dfat’s headquarters, the RG Casey Building, after receiving a report of a suspicious package in the canteen at about 1.45pm.
Nearby roads were blocked to traffic and the Australian federal police bomb response came to the scene as hundreds of staff waited more than 100m from the building. The evacuation also affected a childcare centre attached to the Dfat complex.
ACT Policing station sergeant Donna Hofmeier said the package was deemed to be safe.
The staff member who left the backpack in the canteen was “extremely embarrassed” about the mistake, Hofmeier said.
Asked whether people were more jittery as a result of the lengthy siege in Sydney that ended in dramatic scenes on Tuesday, she said: “Of course they would be. There’s obviously concern given what has happened recently in the past 24 hours.”
Hofmeier said police prioritised people’s safety and believed the standard procedures for investigating suspicious packages had worked well.
In a tweet, ACT Policing said: “We’ll always err on side of caution to keep you safe.”
The temporary roadblocks included part of State Circle, one of the roads that surrounds Canberra’s parliament house.
Authorities increased security measures at parliament house in September, a short time after lifting Australia’s national terrorism public alert level from medium to high.



Topics



Australian security and counter-terrorism




Canberra




Australian Capital Territory (ACT)




Sydney siege




Australian federal police



More…



Australian police and policing




Crime - Australia








Share on Facebook







Share on Twitter







Share via Email







Share on LinkedIn







Share on Google+







Share on WhatsApp



















 






related content












popular












 








The Guardian






back to top














home




US




world
selected




opinion




sports




soccer




tech




arts




lifestyle




fashion




business




money




travel




environment







all sections
close







home




US




world
selected




UK




europe




americas




asia




middle east




africa




australia
selected






opinion




sports




soccer




MLS




NFL




MLB




NBA




NHL






soccer




live scores




tables




competitions




results




fixtures




clubs






tech




games






arts




movies




tv & radio




music




books




art & design




stage




classical






lifestyle




food




health




love & sex




family




women




home & garden






fashion




business




markets




companies






money




travel




USA




europe




UK






environment




development




cities






science




media




crosswords




video











World




›
Australia




›
Australian security and counter-terrorism








jobs

subscribe
all topics
all contributors

info and resources

contact us

feedback

complaints & corrections
terms & conditions
privacy policy
cookie policy
securedrop


© 2015 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.






















 
