Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced that his government will establish a federal royal commission in response to the recent Bondi terror attack that killed 15 people. The inquiry will focus on four key areas: the prevalence of antisemitism, law enforcement's response to antisemitism, the circumstances surrounding the alleged attack, and strengthening social cohesion.
Albanese had initially resisted calls for a wider inquiry, citing concerns about its length and potential platforming of hate speech. However, he now says that a royal commission is essential to achieving national unity and security. He has appointed former high court justice Virginia Bell to lead the commission, which will report before December 14, 2026.
The federal Coalition has criticized Albanese's move, with Liberal leader Sussan Ley arguing that a single commissioner is inadequate for an inquiry of this scale and complexity. She also accused Albanese of being "forced" into calling a royal commission under mounting public pressure. The Coalition will examine the government's terms of reference but declined to endorse them.
The decision comes amid growing calls from families of the victims, Jewish community groups, and politicians across the nation for an inquiry into antisemitism and intelligence agencies. One of the alleged shooters had been investigated by Australia's security agency ASIO in 2019, but his father was later approved for a gun license despite being associated with individuals involved in a reported Islamic State cell.
The royal commission will also review intelligence and law enforcement agencies, with the former Asio chief Dennis Richardson feeding into the inquiry. However, it is unclear whether the commission's interim report will hold public hearings.
Albanese had initially resisted calls for a wider inquiry, citing concerns about its length and potential platforming of hate speech. However, he now says that a royal commission is essential to achieving national unity and security. He has appointed former high court justice Virginia Bell to lead the commission, which will report before December 14, 2026.
The federal Coalition has criticized Albanese's move, with Liberal leader Sussan Ley arguing that a single commissioner is inadequate for an inquiry of this scale and complexity. She also accused Albanese of being "forced" into calling a royal commission under mounting public pressure. The Coalition will examine the government's terms of reference but declined to endorse them.
The decision comes amid growing calls from families of the victims, Jewish community groups, and politicians across the nation for an inquiry into antisemitism and intelligence agencies. One of the alleged shooters had been investigated by Australia's security agency ASIO in 2019, but his father was later approved for a gun license despite being associated with individuals involved in a reported Islamic State cell.
The royal commission will also review intelligence and law enforcement agencies, with the former Asio chief Dennis Richardson feeding into the inquiry. However, it is unclear whether the commission's interim report will hold public hearings.
... I mean, they're only looking at four specific areas and it seems kinda limited given what happened in Bondi 
. Some folks think it's a good start but I can see why others would be skeptical about whether it'll actually lead to meaningful change 
. It's also interesting that the Coalition is questioning the need for a single commissioner... wonder if they're just trying to spin this to make it look like it's not their idea 
I mean, 15 people lost their lives and we're still trying to figure out how that happened? A royal commission is long overdue, IMHO. It's about time our government took antisemitism seriously and actually did something about it 
. Ley's whole "single commissioner" thing just sounds like a weak attempt to undermine the PM. I mean, come on, if you're gonna criticise, critique the actual policies, not try to discredit the person making them 
. And ASIO should've done more with that guy in 2019... what a huge oversight 
. Can't wait for the report and hopefully it'll bring some real change 
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. It's good that Anthony Albanese is finally stepping up and taking action. 
. And what about the families of the victims? Shouldn't they be at the center of this inquiry? I mean, it's not like they're going to give a two-minute notice to start questioning everything... 
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to me. I mean, we're talking about a royal commission here, which is supposed to be super independent and thorough, but now they're already getting heat from politicians on both sides for their terms of reference? It's like they're trying to control the narrative instead of letting an impartial investigation happen.
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Can't we just get on with the whole "national unity" thing without all the drama?
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i dont wanna hear about another com that just kinda goes through the motions without any real impact 
. it feels like we're just sweeping things under the rug and hoping people move on. a royal commission can't come too late, i get that, but some people might not survive another week before justice is served 
. families of the victims deserve answers, and so do we as a society 
. And now they're adding in this whole social cohesion thing? Like, we need to bring everyone together to stop all this racism and prejudice nonsense 
. I'm low-key nervous about the interim report, though - is it gonna be super public or just for insiders? 
. let's see how it plays out, i guess 
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. The fact that one of the alleged shooters had been investigated by ASIO back in 2019 but still got approved for a gun license is just insane 
! It's not exactly reassuring to think that some people might be slipping through the cracks because of bureaucratic red tape 
. Fingers crossed it all works out! 
! Like, can't we just talk about this stuff already?! 
. The fact that they're focusing on antisemitism and strengthening social cohesion is EVERYTHING 
️ I mean, who wouldn't want to unite the nation and make sure everyone feels safe? 
Virginia Bell as the leader of the commission is a great choice btw 
it's heartbreaking to think about what happened & how it's affected so many people ... I can see why a royal commission is needed, even if it's a long time coming 
albanese's decision to set up a royal commishn is def a good 1 b4 the country can take a deep breath and figure out whats goin on. its crazy that some ppl are sayin it's not enuf or that albanses makin it coz of publkc presure 
newsflash: ppl r clammin 4 change 
now we just gotta see how dis all plays out