More than 60 prominent sportspeople call for federal royal commission after Bondi attack | Bondi beach terror attack
More than 60 Australian sports stars have called on Anthony Albanese to establish a federal royal commission into antisemitism, radicalization and the Bondi terror attack as pressure continues on the government.
Leading athletes, including former Olympic swimmers Dawn Fraser and Ian Thorpe, kayaker Jess Fox and former tennis player Lleyton Hewitt, said in an open letter published on Sunday that the attack, which killed 15 people, “is a national crisis and requires a national response”.
“As sports leaders, we understand that leadership is important, especially when values are tested,” the letter said. “We call on the Prime Minister and the Australian government to demonstrate decisive national leadership by confronting all forms of extremism and terrorism without fear or hesitation.”
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The letter is the latest public appeal to Albanese, who has resisted calls for a federal royal commission, including from victims’ families. On Friday, an open letter from more than 120 business leaders and public figures called for a national investigation, echoed by top Catholic bishops in a separate message.
The New South Wales government has plans to set up a state-based royal commission into the attack, and Albanese argued a federal royal commission would take too long and be too broad. Instead, he opted for former Australian Security and Intelligence Service chief Dennis Richardson to review the intelligence and law enforcement agencies.
Asked whether earlier calls for a national royal commission were wrong, Albanese said: “My heart breaks for the families of the victims of the Bondi terrorist atrocity.”
“My duty as Australia’s prime minister is to act in the national interest,” he said last week. “It is in our national interest to conduct the Richardson review of national security.”
In Sunday’s letter, signatories said the problem was “bigger than politics” and there was a need to “end the unprecedented harassment, intimidation and violence against the Australian Jewish community since 7 October 2023”.
“A royal commission is the most credible and unifying way to understand what went wrong, ensure accountability, restore social harmony and move Australia forward with a meaningful, practical plan of action.”
Signatories with political backgrounds include former Labor federal senator and Olympian Nova Peris and John Alexander, a former tennis player who later served as a federal Liberal MP.
Former Olympic sprinter Raelene Boyle, former cricketer Michael Clarke, Sydney Swans player Isaac Heeney and the team’s former coach John Longmire and former Wallabies captain John Eales also signed the letter.
The signatories said: “The eyes of the world will soon be on Australia as the 2032 Olympic Games in Brisbane approach.
“The safety of our citizens, the integrity of our public spaces, and the values we reflect as a nation have never been more important.”
