Bondi Beach Terror Attack: PM Anthony Albanese Sparks Fury by Rejecting Calls for National Royal Commission in Favour of ‘Quicker and Safer’ Review
- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has defied calls for a national royal commission into the Bondi Beach terror attack, opting for a quicker review process led by retired intelligence head Dennis Richardson.
- The review will examine the events leading up to the anti-Semitic attack on December 14, which left 15 people dead and nine in hospital, including three in a critical but stable condition.
- Jewish community groups have expressed outrage at the decision, with 17 families demanding a royal commission in an open letter, stating: “You owe us answers. You owe us accountability. And you owe Australians the truth.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has sparked widespread fury by rejecting calls for a national royal commission into the Bondi Beach terror attack, instead opting for a quicker review process led by retired intelligence head Dennis Richardson.
In a move that has been slammed by Jewish community groups and the opposition, Albanese has insisted that the Richardson review will be able to “look at any issues related to the events on December 14, the atrocity that was committed”.
“This is the most experienced person who can have a look quickly, sharply, go through with the experience that he has to determine any further actions that are required by the commonwealth government,” Albanese said in Canberra on Monday.
Richardson will assess whether the relevant commonwealth law enforcement and intelligence agencies performed to maximum effectiveness in the context of the Bondi shootings, and examine whether they have adequate powers, systems, processes, and procedures.
He will also consider the circumstances in which the two men who allegedly carried out the attack were assessed by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation and the Australian Federal Police, and consider any necessary changes.
Albanese has argued that a full royal commission would take years, adding that the coalition’s proposed inquiry would have more than 100 separate areas of investigation.
“It’s in the interests of everyone’s safety that we get it quickly,” Albanese said, sparking accusations that he is prioritising speed over accountability.
Jewish community groups have been pushing for a national royal commission to examine the events leading up to the anti-Semitic attack, with 17 families demanding one in an open letter published overnight.
“Announcements made so far by the federal government in response to the Bondi massacre are not nearly enough,” the letter states. “You owe us answers. You owe us accountability. And you owe Australians the truth.”
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has lashed the prime minister’s decision, saying he has refused to use his power to eradicate anti-Semitism.
“The prime minister has actually insulted those who have endured the unimaginable. It is not protective, it is patronising,” she said in Canberra. “What is the prime minister hiding?”