Families of victims demand Prime Minister Anthony Albanese launch federal royal commission
Grieving families of the Jewish victims of the Bondi attack have urged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to set up a Commonwealth royal commission into the rise of antisemitism and other failures that contributed to Australia’s worst mass murder in decades.
The 17 families linked to most of those killed on December 14 said in a statement that the federal government “has not done enough” since the incident that killed 15 innocent people and injured dozens of others, and said they want a royal commission to examine the “rapid increase in antisemitism” following the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, as well as failures in law enforcement, intelligence and policy.
“We demand answers and solutions,” the statement said. “We need to know why clear warning signs were ignored, how anti-Semitic hatred and Islamic extremism were allowed to grow dangerously unchecked, and what changes need to be made to protect all Australians in the future.
“As proud Australians and proud Jews, we have endured more than two and a half years of unremitting attacks. Our children do not feel safe at school and university. Our homes, workplaces, sporting venues and public spaces no longer feel safe. This is an unacceptable situation that no Australian should have to endure.”
Two weeks after an attack on a Jewish event on the first night of Hanukkah, political debate is raging over whether the federal government is doing enough to combat antisemitism in Australia.
Among the two suspected Islamic extremists who opened fire on Hanukkah celebrations at Bondi Beach, 50-year-old Sajid Akram was killed at the scene, while his 24-year-old son Naveed survived. They allegedly had a homemade black Islamic State flag in their car at the time of the attack. As of Sunday, 10 patients remained hospitalized, including three in critical but stable condition.
One flashpoint since the attack has been Albanese’s reluctance to set up a federal royal commission, despite saying he would support it at the state level.
NSW Premier Chris Minns has indicated he wants to set up a royal commission and said during a visit to Bondi Beach on Sunday that it was necessary to “get information to present to the government so we can make the changes that will keep the community safe”.
The appeal from families representing many of those killed in the attack follows pressure on the federal government not only from Albanese’s political opponents, but also from security experts, former heads of intelligence services and the family of Katrina Dawson, who was killed in the Lindt cafe siege in 2014.
A former royal commissioner has also backed the idea, while 139 prominent legal figures, including a former chief justice and several judges, signed an open letter in support last week. The call for a Commonwealth royal commission was also greeted with enthusiastic cheers at the commemoration marking the week since the Bondi massacre.
Nearly half of voters were positive about the idea of a royal commission into antisemitism, according to a Resolve Political Monitor poll last week: 48 per cent said they supported it, while 34 per cent were undecided or neutral and 17 per cent were opposed.
In a statement, families of the Bondi victims ask how Albanese could not support a royal commission into the “deadliest terrorist attack on Australian soil” in which they were detained in banks and aged care homes.
“We lost our parents, our spouses, our children, our grandparents,” the families said.
“Our loved ones were celebrating Hanukkah as a festival of light and joy at Bondi Beach, an iconic public space that was supposed to be safe.
“You owe us answers. You owe us responsibility. And you owe Australians the truth.”
Albanese is resisting the establishment of a royal commission, focusing instead on a brief inquiry led by former Defense Department secretary Dennis Richardson into federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies to see whether they needed new powers.
He said it would take years for a full royal commission to be established and noted that the Coalition’s proposed inquiry would have more than 100 separate areas of inquiry.
Federal Local Government Minister Kristy McBain said on Sunday the government wanted a rapid response to the Bondi tragedy. He said Richardson had been given until April to report on the country’s security laws.
“We gave him a short timeline to get back to us with some answers on how it would happen. [the shooters] “He told us about his radicalization, what methods were used and how we can continue to fight antisemitism, as well as the response of our agencies, including ASIO and the AFP, and how they are working with the NSW police force.”
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley repeated her call for an immediate royal commission at the weekend, saying it should shed light on how antisemitism is growing across the country.
He said the coalition’s own terms of reference could be changed to accommodate the government.
“We can fix them. We can change them. We can bring them forward. We can properly consult with the Jewish community and start a process that will lead to the establishment of a Commonwealth royal commission,” he said.
Former treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the “drums are beating loudly for a Commonwealth royal commission” and that families’ involvement was “hugely important”.
“With recent polls showing the Australian public agrees with the long list of legal, national security and political leaders calling for a royal commission, it is now time for the prime minister to listen and act. The voices are too loud and important to ignore,” he said.
The families said senior legal, security and political leaders “came together to demonstrate unprecedented public support” for the Commonwealth royal commission.
“The rise of antisemitism in Australia goes far beyond the jurisdiction of a single state. This is a national crisis that requires a strong national response,” the statement said.
In addition, referring to the antisemitic attacks made since the massacre, it was stated that the threat to the Jewish community is real and increasing.
“The dangerous rise of antisemitism and radicalism in Australia is not going away,” the statement said. “We need strong action now. We need leadership now. You can’t bring back our loved ones. But with a well-led Commonwealth royal commission and strong action, you can save so many more.”
Questions about security and intelligence deficiencies have also dominated discussions over the past two weeks.
Minns acknowledged on Sunday that the police presence at the Hanukkah event in Bondi on December 14 was “clearly not sufficient” to deal with the level of threat.
“As history has tragically shown, the reality is that we need to do very different things in the future,” he said.
Minns also urged Sydneysiders to “turn their noses up at terrorists” and celebrate the New Year as normal.
“We can’t let these people win,” he said. “We need to challenge ourselves by going out and spending time with our family and friends during the New Year period.”
But Minns warned the public to expect to see police carrying weapons “like you haven’t seen before” as security is stepped up ahead of New Year’s events.
Minns also announced the NSW government would take action to close any venues used for hate speech, including shutting off water and electricity supplies.
“We need to be in a position to immediately confront and shut down hate preachers wherever and whenever we see them,” he said. “If we are to tackle racism and antisemitism, we must do so at all levels, whether it is violent activity on the streets of Sydney, antisemitic chanting at a protest or taking place behind closed doors.”
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Shane Wright- Shane is the senior economic correspondent for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect with: excitement or email.
