Sky News commentator says PM lucky protester 'not with ISIS'

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was lucky a protester who rushed the stage while he was speaking was “not with ISIS”, a Sky News commentator has said.

A group of refugee activists stormed a business lunch in Melbourne today where Mr Turnbull was the keynote speaker, with one protester managing to come within metres of him.

“Where is his security detail? I mean luckily she’s not with ISIS,” Sky News political commentator Peter van Onselen said.

Van Onselen and former NSW premier Kristina Keneally were reacting to protesters interrupting the prime minister’s speech when the commentator made the remark.

“We assume that she’s not,” Keneally said in exasperation.

“There’s always a judgement call made by the security experts, do you tackle, and particularly do you tackle female protesters… but she is physically within just metres of the prime minister.

“And you’re right, she’s holding a poster and not a gun.”

The woman who managed to join Mr Turnbull onstage was carrying a poster with the words “FFS close the bloody camps” – in reference to the detention camps on Nauru.

The group, which included young men and women over the age of 50, were forcibly ejected from the luncheon at Melbourne's Grand Hyatt.

The protest took place about 10 minutes after Mr Turnbull began his speech.

The group say they feel the need to take drastic action because the government is not listening to experts or reports of abuse.

"We've tried everything else, we've attended rallies," protester Susie told media outside the meeting.

"Nothing that we do seems to make any difference and it's desperate measures in desperate times."

She said Australians need to hold the government to account instead of accepting the abuse of asylum seekers in offshore detention centres.

With AAP