A Sydney man has been granted bail a day after being charged for allegedly making an online post calling for the kidnapping of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Nathan Ballesty, 27, was arrested at his home in Beacon Hill by one of the Australian Federal Police’s National Security Investigations (NSI) teams on December 21 and had his electronic devices seized.
He was charged with “using a carriage service to threaten serious harm” and refusing to supply his password, and appeared in Manly Local Court on Monday where he was granted bail, The Daily Telegraph reported.
His release under strict conditions came a day before nationalist activist Joel Davis was refused bail for a third time for allegedly using the phrase “rhetorically rape” while urging his Telegram followers to respond to an X post made by federal MP Allegra Spender.
He was arrested by an NSI team at a café in Bondi on November 20, while the Bondi Islamic terrorists were planning the massacre they carried out just a few streets away, and has been in solitary confinement in jail ever since.
Earlier this month another man, Steven Ly, 31, was also released on bail after being arrested by an NSI team for allegedly threatening to kill Communications Minister Anika Wells in two emails.
Mr Albanese was asked about the alleged threat on Wednesday and responded by calling for the “lowering the temperature of the political debate” in the wake of the Bondi Islamic terrorist attack.
“We need to be able to have civil political discourse in this country. We need to be able to disagree as well as agree respectfully. There is no place for the rise in violence that has occurred,” he said.
“There is a responsibility on both public office holders, a responsibility upon people in the media as well, to engage in a way that they would like to see themselves spoken about.
“I encourage people to engage, particularly young people to engage in political discourse because in a democracy, participation is an essential component. But it does need to be respectful.”
Mr Ballesty was ordered to surrender his passport, abide by a curfew, report to police three times a week, not use drugs or alcohol, report to a GP and accept any treatment reasonably recommended, not use encrypted apps including Discord or possess more than one phone, and is banned from contacting any MPs or their offices.
He will face court again on March 3.
Header image: Mr Albanese at a memorial for victims of the Bondi massacre (PMO).
