Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the death of Dezi Freeman, who killed two police officers, was justified, saying he has “no sympathy” for him.
Speaking on ABC Radio on Tuesday, Albanese gave a blunt response when asked about Freeman being shot dead by police on Monday.
“Good.”
He described Freeman as a “reprehensible criminal who murdered two police officers”.
“I just don’t have any sympathy for him, that’s my position,” he said.
Albanese said Freeman was always going to face justice, but believed Freeman chose to resist rather than submit to the legal process.
“He always was going to be brought to justice, and it’s clear that he was always going to fight it out; so, he made the decision to murder these police officers, and he made the decision to try to fight it out and to not give himself up or go through a legal process.”
He said the decision to refuse that path sat with Freeman alone.
“That’s a decision that rests solely with Dezi Freeman.”
Albanese also used the moment to condemn the sovereign citizen movement, warning about its anti-government ideology and the risks it can pose.
“The head of ASIO has made very clear warnings about what this ideology represents; they don’t respect any processes, and they regard the police and government and our entire society as not being legitimate.”
He confirmed federal agencies would work with police to pursue anyone who may have supported Freeman, with cooperation across jurisdictions.
Albanese also paid tribute to Detective Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim De Waart-Hottart, saying he would not forget the impact of attending their funerals.
“I attended the funerals of both of those police officers and I’ll never forget it, I felt honoured to be there at such a solemn and sad farewell for two police officers,” he said.
“I will never – I hope – be in a room with so many tough, hardened people, who are distraught.
“At the end of this saga, the thing that I remember is the sacrifice of those police officers and the fact that our police put themselves in danger each and every day in order to keep us safe.”
