Christmas ‘anthrax’ bauble sparks scare in State Government building visited by Premier Roger Cook

Premier Roger Cook has called a bizarre anthrax scare at a State Government office “distressing” after it was revealed the hoax sparked a lockdown, just half an hour after he left the building. The West Australian understands Mr Cook was meeting oil and gas bosses, including Woodside chief executive Meg O’Neill and representatives from Santos, Chevron and Shell Australia, inside the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation on Wednesday afternoon. It is unclear who or what was the intended target of the hoax that sparked a security scare about 2:20pm. A 55-year-old woman has been charged with “acts creating false apprehension as to the existence of threats or danger” after allegedly placing a silver Christmas bauble at reception and telling staff it contained anthrax. Police said testing has confirmed the bauble did not contain anthrax, that was blamed for five deaths and 22 infections during a wave of letter attacks in the United States in 2001. “This would have been a distressing incident for staff at the Department and I want to thank WA Police for their swift response,” Mr Cook said. “Every Western Australian has a right to feel safe at work and we’ll always take a zero-tolerance approach to these kinds of hoaxes.” If convicted, the charge carries a maximum penalty of three to 14 years imprisonment. Woodside declined to comment when contacted. The company’s Perth headquarters has been the frequent target of anti-gas activists. Three “Disrupt Burrup Hub” members pleaded guilty in October to creating a false belief, after a stink bomb and flares were set off at Woodside’s annual general meeting in April.