Many Australians are shaken by the attempted bombing of a crowd of more than 2,500 people attending an Invasion Day rally in central Perth by a 31‑year‑old white man. The episode has been especially difficult to process for washed‑out progressive politicians who feel robbed of a chance to resurrect their careers with demagogic speeches attacking the government’s appalling record on the human rights of Aboriginal people and demanding a Royal Commission to expose the full extent of its failures.

“We are victims of bogan daftness. If only the perpetrator of the attempted bombing had shown the discipline and work ethic displayed by terrorists from other ethnicities, at least one of us could have pulled a Josh Frydenberg,” commented one of the washed‑out progressive politicians, echoing the sentiments of many.