The remote bushland property where two police officers were murdered could be used as a retreat or training center if the Queensland government agreed to clear the way to its purchase.
Constables Matthew Arnold, 26 and Rachel McCrow, 29, died in a hail of gunfire after pulling up to the rural property at Wieambilla, three hours west of Brisbane, on 12 December.
Neighbor Alan Dare was also gunned down when conspiracy theorists Gareth Train, his partner, Stacey Train, and brother Nathaniel Train opened fire upon their approach.
The officers were checking the property, owned by Gareth and Stacey Train, while conducting a missing person check for Nathaniel Train.
The Queensland Police Union said on Tuesday it wanted to buy the block and had asked the government for help resuming the land.
“The QPU would never want to see this land fall into the hands of any other anti-vaxxer, pro-gun conspiracy theorist, sovereign citizens who may seek to utilize the reputation of this site to promote their own dangerous and warped views,” union head Ian Leavers told the Courier-Mail.
“That is why the QPU has an obligation to safeguard this property to protect the memories of the police who gave their lives.”
Leavers told the Courier-Mail the land could be used for a retreat for officers, a training center and be the site of a memorial.
The government is reportedly considering the proposal.
On Monday, the premiere, Annastacia Palaszczuk, paid her respects to the other officers ahead of a public memorial at the Brisbane Entertainment Center on Wednesday.
“Everyone’s gone through a really rough time out here and I want all of Queensland and all of Australia to continue to show their support for the two young lives that were tragically taken,” she said.
“Wednesday is going to be a very difficult day.”
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Eight thousand people are expected to attend the memorial before the constables are farewell by family and friends at private ceremonies.
Members of the public are invited to attend the ceremony alongside family, friends, government officials and police officers. Free tickets were available from Monday night.
The service will be live streamed online and on TV, and Queenslanders will be able to watch the event at a number of public venues around the state, including in communities near Wieambilla such as Tara, Dalby and Chinchilla.
Investigators are probing the circumstances of the attack, which fellow officers constables Keely Brough and Randall Kirk managed to escape.
After the initial ambush, the Trains were shot dead in a firefight with heavily armed tactical police officers.
Investigators are still officially declaring a motive but are probing links between the Trains and online conspiracy groups and their digital footprints.
