‘Entitled to opinion’: PM bats away latest inquiry call
Anthony Albanese remained inactive after the human rights commissioner entered the political fray demanding a royal commission into anti-Semitism.
The Prime Minister is grappling with calls from Jewish groups and families of those killed in the Bondi Beach massacre for a full-scale national inquiry.
Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finlay has addressed critics of the Albanian government’s move to launch a review into intelligence and law enforcement led by former ASIO boss Dennis Richardson.
Ms Finlay insisted it was critical to understand the “deeper causes of violence”.
“The Bondi terror attack was driven by anti-Semitism. Confronting this head on must be a national priority,” he wrote on social media.
“A federal royal commission is needed to fully understand what happened and ensure it never happens again.”
Ms Finlay is serving as commissioner for a five-year term following her appointment by the Morrison government in 2021.
He was one of three authors who wrote a book arguing that section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act was “too broad and vague to be constitutional”.
His intervention came after more than 135 former judges and senior lawyers signed an open letter calling for the same, but senior silk Robert Richter opposed the idea.
Mr Albanese said there would be no repercussions for Ms Finlay joining the debate despite being a government-appointed official.
“People are entitled to their own opinions,” he told reporters at The Entrance in Sydney’s north on Thursday.
“Dennis Richardson…(is) the most qualified person you can have to look at intelligence issues, to look at security issues on a national basis, and to get to the bottom of it.
“It’s already up and running; it has a team to look into all these issues and it’s working.”
Mr Albanese came under pressure over the name after revealing he had been advised to carry out a departmental review by “real experts”.
He cited Mr Richardson as one of the experts, along with the heads of “all authorities”.
While the Prime Minister has argued it will take years for the royal commission to present its findings, the review will be completed by the end of April.
NSW Premier Chris Minns has simultaneously pledged to commission a state royal commission into the attack and will not lobby the prime minister to change his mind.
