Brisbane news live: Advice on LNP union crackdown to remain secret | Suncorp Stadium pitch damaged by Combs concerts

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has become testy with journalists as he continuously gets asked on whether national cabinet or the broader public should have known about the caravan filled with explosives.

News broke on Wednesday that police had discovered a caravan in an outer Sydney suburb loaded with explosives and a piece of paper with the address of a Sydney synagogue, which authorities had kept secret for days.

Yesterday Albanese dodged questions on whether national cabinet had been briefed, when he knew and why he did not tell the public. Speaking at a press conference in Croydon this morning, Albanese grew angry as he was peppered with similar questions to Thursday.

“What I will do is continue to prioritise two things. The first and most important is keeping Australians safe. The second is making sure that I provide support to the police and intelligence agencies for them to do their job,” he said.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton criticised Albanese for handling of the incident, arguing national cabinet should have been briefed after this masthead reported they had not been told.

Loading

“This should not be the source of political debate, and … I note that the Coalition have said as well that they wouldn’t change the protocols that have been in place for a long period of time,” Albanese said with growing frustration, “The idea that you make public pronouncements about something that is an ongoing investigation is, of course, entirely inappropriate.”

Asked if he was not briefed, Albanese bristled and snapped, saying: “I have not said that. I have said that I do not comment. I can’t be clearer. I can say … it the same way. You know that I said yesterday, I’ll say the same thing tomorrow. I do not talk about operational matters for an ongoing investigation.”

Albanese then responded to a question defensively on whether there should be an increase in police resources.

“We will give police and the authorities every support that they require and every request has been met by every jurisdiction,” he said.