Man charged over alleged social media threat against federal minister

A man from the Snowy Mountains region of New South Wales has been granted conditional bail after allegedly making a threat against a senior Australian federal politician via social media. Shannon Bennett, 53, faces a charge of using a carriage service to threaten to kill or cause serious harm to Tanya Plibersek, the Social Services minister, following an Australian Federal Police (AFP) investigation.

Bennett will appear in court again on September 15. The AFP's National Security Investigations team has been probing the matter since July after receiving a report of an alleged online threat to kill a federal parliamentarian. Police searched Bennett's home in Berridale on Wednesday and seized a mobile phone for examination. Plibersek declined to comment, stating it was a police matter to be dealt with in court.

Judge Te res Sia granted Bennett conditional bail, emphasizing the seriousness of the allegations. The court heard that the charge stems from an alleged Facebook post from July 22. Despite Bennett's criminal history in Queensland and New South Wales not being unblemished, there were no entries of a similar or identical kind. Under bail conditions, Bennett is barred from using social media and must not approach or contact Plibersek or her electorate office in Sydney, or Parliament House in Canberra.

He is also required to report to Cooma Police Station once a week. Bennett appeared in court via audio-visual link and has yet to enter a plea. The maximum penalty for the offence is up to 10 years imprisonment. The AFP established a National Security Investigations team in October 2025 to target individuals causing significant harm to Australia's social cohesion, including the targeting of federal parliamentarians. Bennett is scheduled to face Queanbeyan Local Court on September 15.