PM Albanese Under Fire for Delaying Parliament Recall Amid Fears of Looming Terror Threats
- Opposition Leader Sussan Ley slams PM for not recalling parliament sooner, saying ‘every day that the parliament has not come back has been a day that it should have come back’
- Parliament’s first sitting fortnight for 2026 is scheduled to start on February 3, leaving Aussies waiting for crucial legislation to tighten gun, hate speech and visa screening laws
- Naveed Akram, charged with 59 offences including committing a terrorist act, was able to fly under the radar of counter-terrorism watchers despite his father’s extremist links
In a scathing attack, Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has blasted Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for delaying the recall of parliament, saying ‘the Prime Minister has missed the moment and missed the mark to lead the country through the aftermath of this awful terrorist event’.
Ms Ley’s comments come as the nation grapples with the aftermath of the devastating Bondi terror attack, which left 15 innocents dead and dozens more injured. The Opposition Leader has been pushing for parliament to be recalled to pass snap legislation to tighten gun, hate speech and visa screening laws.
However, Mr Albanese has been hesitant to recall parliament, citing practicality concerns. ‘It’s not practical to recall parliament before Christmas,’ he said, despite flagging his intention to haul parliamentarians back to Canberra early to pass the laws.
Meanwhile, Naveed Akram, the alleged mastermind behind the Bondi terror attack, has been charged with 59 offences, including committing a terrorist act. His father, Sajid Akram, who was killed in the police response, had amassed six firearms since acquiring his gun licence in 2013.
Shockingly, Naveed Akram was able to fly under the radar of counter-terrorism watchers despite his father’s extremist links and his own frequent visits to an Islamic centre in Sydney’s west infamous for extremist preachings.
That centre, run by notorious Islamist preacher Wissam Haddad, was shut down last month after the local council found it did not hold necessary permits. A lawyer for Mr Haddad has said he ‘vehemently denies any knowledge of or involvement in the shootings that took place at Bondi Beach’.
Ms Ley has vowed to take a ‘constructive approach’ to the legislation, saying ‘Australians would expect us to work with the government and to be constructive’. However, she has not seen the draft legislation and has called for it to be released well in advance of any recall of parliament.
As the nation waits with bated breath for the parliament to reconvene, one thing is clear: the clock is ticking, and Aussies are demanding action to prevent another terror attack from occurring.