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Albanese announces Bondi terror commission, while Ley says he was ‘forced’ to do so
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Albanese announces Bondi terror commission, while Ley says he was ‘forced’ to do so

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has bowed to pressure and announced a royal commission into the Bondi terror attack.
After weeks of rejecting growing calls for a federal inquiry, Albanians announced a Commonwealth royal commission on Thursday afternoon after a cabinet meeting. The emphasis will be on anti-Semitism and social cohesion.
Former Supreme Court Justice Virginia Bell will lead the investigation, with Albanese confident she will examine the “complex issues before us with impartiality and precision,” amid criticism of her appointment from some members of the Jewish community.
Opposition leader Sussan Ley said the announcement “finally” responds to the pleas of “the families of the victims, the Jewish community and the wider community” as she accused Albanians of acting only out of political self-interest.
Joining Home Secretary Tony Burke, anti-Semitism envoy Jillian Segal and Attorney-General Michelle Rowland, Albanese said he had decided, after a period of reflection, that a royal commission was “essential”.

Albanese told reporters: “I have said repeatedly that our government’s priority is to promote unity and social cohesion, and this is what Australia needs to heal, to learn, to come together in a spirit of national unity.”

Ley said the decision was “not an act of leadership, but an acknowledgment that his litany of excuses has collapsed.”
“Anthony Albanese relented, not because he believed a Commonwealth royal commission was the right thing to do, but because he was forced to do so by the Australian people,” she said in a statement.
“The pleas of the victims’ families, the Jewish community and the wider community have finally been heard, but as always, Anthony Albanese has only taken action when he judged it to be in his political interest. His political interest is the only thing that guides him, never the national interest.

“Leadership requires action, and this prime minister refused to act until resistance became impossible.”

The Commission will focus on four areas

Albanese said the commission would focus on four key areas: tackling anti-Semitism, including its key drivers; assisting agencies in responding to anti-Semitism; investigating the circumstances of the Bondi terror attack; and strengthening social cohesion.
“A royal commission is not the beginning or the end of what Australia needs to do to root out anti-Semitism, protect ourselves from terrorism or strengthen our social cohesion,” he said.
“That is an ongoing national effort for all of us as individuals, but also as institutions, because an attack on Jewish Australians is an attack on all Australians.”

The commission would not be a “lengthy process”, Albanese said, adding that Bell would be asked to report by December 14, 2026, exactly one year after the Bondi attack.

Albanese clarified that the commission’s timeline had been “truncated” by introducing the Richardson review, which will report in April and examine Australian intelligence services and their response to the attack.
NSW Premier Chris Minns has since announced that, given the creation of a Commonwealth royal commission, a previously announced state-level royal commission would not go ahead.
Minns added that NSW would “fully cooperate” with the federal investigation.

When asked about the cost of the investigation, Albanese said it would be revealed in the May budget.

Judge Virginia Bell has investigated former Prime Minister Scott Morrison over his appointment to multiple ministries during the COVID-19 pandemic. Source: MONKEY / .

He said the investigation would build on immediate measures including accelerated tougher gun laws, additional resources for law enforcement agencies to help prevent further attacks and expected new laws to criminalize hate speech.

The Bondi Beach massacre is the worst terrorist attack in Australian history: fifteen people were killed and more than forty injured.
The attack prompted calls for a national response from the opposition, independents, former federal ministers, business leaders, public figures and more than 60 Australian sports stars, as well as the victims’ families and parts of the wider Jewish community.

However, on Tuesday he noticeably softened his language, opening the door to the possibility of a royal commission.

Anti-Semitism envoy Jillian Segal praised the Prime Minister for listening to calls from the community, saying this “reflects the seriousness of the growth of anti-Semitism and its impact on our country”.
“The focus will continue to be on prevention, education, institutional responsibility and community, and I think Australians expect the truth about what happened at Bondi and its root causes,” she said.

“They expect continued action to address the circumstances that allowed this hatred to take root, and both must work together. That is why I will work very closely with the Commissioner where necessary.”

Albanese and Burke return to Ley’s proposal

Ley has been calling for a federal royal commission for weeks, publishing a draft terms of reference a week after the Bondi attack.
It included three commissioners, with at least one member of the Jewish community, in addition to a senior judicial member and a national security expert.
Burke said the dozens of recommendations would have delayed an outcome because Labour’s mandate would allow the government to “act quickly on national security”.

“Some of the frames of reference that have been floating around, especially from the opposition in recent weeks, would have left something that hasn’t given us answers for a very long time,” Burke said.

“And it would also have failed to have the priority of social cohesion in the structure that has been given here.”
“If we had accepted the opposition’s 73-point proposal, we would have been on the road for many years before achieving any practical results,” Albanese added.
Ley said the opposition would review Labour’s announced mandate “in consultation with the Jewish community and national security experts, to ensure that no stone is left unturned and that every issue that needs to be addressed can be addressed.”
She also criticized the decision to appoint one commissioner, saying this was “insufficient for an investigation of this size, complexity and importance”.

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