Victoria’s Parliament Placed into Lockdown Following Bomb Threat

Victoria’s Parliament Placed into Lockdown Following Bomb Threat
The Parliament of Victoria's upper house on Nov. 3, 2017. in Melbourne, Australia. Michael Dodge/Getty Images
Updated:
The Australian state of Victoria’s parliament was in lockdown on Thursday morning after an alleged bomb threat.  
Police said they had arrived at a Spring St building in Melbourne to complete a “safety check” about 10.45 a.m.

The building has since been deemed safe after all entrances were blocked.

The bomb threat was reportedly made via phone call.  
State MPs were told about the incident in an email on Thursday morning. 
“At this stage, the building is in lockdown, so no one can enter or exit the building,” the email read.  
“The police are investigating, and we will send an email update as soon as we have more information.”  
The opposition called off a press conference that was scheduled to be held at the site in the afternoon.  
Minor party upper house MP Fiona Patten issued a warning following the bomb threat, saying it was “dangerous for democracy.”  
“We experienced a lot of this during the state of emergency debate, and extremists are still attempting to intimidate members of parliament and influence the coming election,” she said.
More to come
Nina Nguyen
Author
Nina Nguyen is a reporter based in Sydney. She covers Australian news with a focus on social, cultural, and identity issues. She is fluent in Vietnamese. Contact her at [email protected].
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