Troy Grant is calling for a clear explanation about how the man responsible for the Lindt cafe siege was allowed to be in the community on bail.
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The Member for Dubbo and Deputy Premier watched this week's horrifying events unfold from his Martin Place office.
He knew something was seriously wrong when armed personnel started to move into the area.
The former front line police inspector immediately switched into "copper mode".
"I was explaining what was happening to the people around me," Mr Grant said.
"Things changed significantly the moment the flag went up in the (cafe) window."
Why was this man out of bail? Was one of the first things Premier Mike Baird and Mr Grant asked when they gathered in the government crisis centre.
"Reviews are underway," Mr Grant said.
"There are questions about why the gunman was not on the ASIO watch list and how the feds lost oversight of someone who had been identified as having terrorist connotations.
"The disgraceful actions of this unstable man are an extreme example of why the government needed to change the bail laws.
"His actions also validate questions the Dubbo community has been asking the judiciary."
Mr Grant said making a decision on bail was a complex process involving "factors the community doesn't know about".
"The judiciary is not always able to provide a lot of detail because of privacy and sensitivity but there should be explanations about why bail is given," he said.
Mr Grant is proud of the way police, government and the community responded to the Martin Place emergency.
"The response was world class," he said.
"It wasn't a specific terrorist attack, just an unstable man acting alone.
"The tragic siege focused attention on what could have been."
Mr Grant was not surprised by the memorial that sprang up overnight.
"I laid flowers on Tuesday before attending the mass," he said. "There was a knowing look in the people in and around Martin Place and a great sense of solidarity."
Mr Grant has called into the Lindt cafe many times, on his own and with his wife and children.
He usually orders a $7 hot chocolate."