Ian Mellowship determined to 'get back at' Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, court told

Ian Stewart Mellowship fronted the ACT Magistrates Court on Friday, applying to be released to live with a known criminal in Braddon or at a second address he could not name.

He pleaded guilty during his first appearance in July to a charge of trespassing at the federal Treasury building in Parkes, as well as two counts of threatening to harm Mr Frydenberg because of the Treasurer's conduct or status as a public official.

The West Australian man was at pains on that occasion to point out that he was aggrieved by the Liberal politician's conduct, rather than his status.

The matter has since followed an unusual path, with Chief Magistrate Lorraine Walker ordering a report on Mellowship's fitness to plead.

Commonwealth prosecutor Cecilia Pascoe has also withdrawn the charges to which Mellowship pleaded guilty, replacing them with almost identical allegations.

Mellowship, who previously insisted he did not need representation because he was "very law-orientated", accepted the assistance of Legal Aid on Friday.

Duty lawyer Tanja Cobden said Mellowship seemed to have been "experiencing some concerns or delusions in relation to the Treasurer" at the time in question.

But she said a letter from a doctor indicated "that certainly isn't the case any more".

Ms Cobden proposed a series of bail conditions that would include prohibitions on Mellowship being within a certain distance of Mr Frydenberg, the Treasury building and Parliament House.

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She said the current COVID-19 lockdown, imposed after Mellowship was remanded in custody, had diminished the ability of people to freely go to these places anyway.

"There is no indication Mr Mellowship has any specific ability to access Mr Frydenberg," Ms Cobden said.

She added the Treasurer presumably had "the benefit of sophisticated security".

Ms Pascoe opposed bail, arguing Mellowship had not put forward any suitable addresses.

She said the man had made continuous and repeated threats against Mr Frydenberg after travelling to the national capital, demonstrating that he was willing to go to great lengths to "get back at" the politician.

"I would submit that the defendant, having flown from Western Australia specifically to flog the Treasurer, shows a significant determination to offend," Ms Pascoe said.

She said he had also made a promise that suggested Mr Frydenberg's safety might still be in jeopardy.

"In the statement of facts, the defendant states that he won't be leaving Canberra until the job is done; the job being assaulting the Treasurer," Ms Pascoe said.

The prosecutor further argued Mellowship's ties to the ACT were unclear and that, with a child in Western Australia and a history of bail breaches, he was a significant flight risk.

Magistrate James Lawton refused bail, citing the uncertainty over where Mellowship would live and the man's past record of non-compliance with conditions.

Mellowship is due to return to court on September 13 for a fitness to plead inquiry.

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