New South Wales Premier Demands Royal Commission into Bondi Beach Terror Attack as Death Toll Mounts to 15
- NSW Premier Chris Minns backs calls for a Royal Commission into the devastating Bondi Beach terror attack that claimed 15 innocent lives.
- Naveed Akram, son of gunman Sajid Akram, faces almost 60 charges related to the incident and remains in custody in a NSW hospital.
- Premier Minns announces urgent reforms to fast-track firearm and hate-speech laws, including legislation to give authorities greater powers to remove face coverings during public assemblies.
- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pledges Commonwealth support for the NSW government’s actions, as the National Security Committee meets seven times since the attack.
Premier Chris Minns has thrown his weight behind calls for a Royal Commission into the Bondi Beach terror attack, saying it’s essential to uncover the truth behind the devastating incident that left 15 people dead.
“I think we need a Royal Commission right now,” he declared, his voice laced with a sense of urgency. “Until we’ve got a full and accurate picture of exactly how this happened, with a plan to ensure that it doesn’t happen again, then I don’t have answers [for] the people of New South Wales about what happened on Sunday.”
Mr Minns’ announcement comes as the NSW government introduces a raft of measures to prevent similar attacks, including legislation to give authorities greater powers to remove face coverings during public assemblies and outlaw terrorist symbols such as ISIS flags.
Under current laws, police can only remove face coverings if they believe a person is in the midst of committing an indictable offence. But Mr Minns is determined to change this, saying, “If London police are taking action to arrest people for hateful rhetoric in the UK, then we need to be doing it here too.”
The proposed laws would also reclassify straight-pull, pump-action and button, lever release firearms to limit their access primarily to primary producers. Gun club membership would be mandatory for all firearms licence holders, and Australian citizenship will be made a requirement for obtaining a licence, with the exception of New Zealand permanent residents engaged in primary production or security roles.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has pledged Commonwealth support for the NSW government’s actions, saying, “Over recent days, we’ve announced new measures to eliminate the scourge of antisemitism, to stop the hate preachers, to get guns off our streets and to ensure that law enforcement agencies have the resources that they need to prevent future attacks.”
As the investigation into the Bondi Beach terror attack continues, Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commissioner Krissy Barrett reassured Australians that authorities are “leaving no stone unturned” in their pursuit of justice. “The location of the search warrants will not be made public, but let me reassure Australians we are doing everything in our power to bring those responsible to justice,” she said.