Who is calling for a royal commission?
In the weeks since the 14 December Bondi attack, in which 15 people were killed and more than 40 injured in an attack targeting the Jewish community during the Hanukkah festival, calls for a Commonwealth royal commission to investigate antisemitism have grown louder.
Despite a steady stream of open letters from Bondi victim families, prominent Australians, community groups, business leaders, legal experts and more, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has harshly argued that a commission would not be the most appropriate response to the attack.
The groups focusing on the proposed investigation are as follows:
Families of Bondi victims and Jewish groups
Just two weeks after the attack, the families of the 17 victims of the Bondi attack penned an open letter calling for a royal commission and arguing that the government has “failed to do enough” since the attack.
“We demand answers and solutions. 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,” the letter said.
The families’ calls were echoed by the Executive Council of Australian Jews, the NSW Jewish Board of Representatives, the Zionist Federation of Australia, the Rabbinical Council of Australia and several other Jewish community organisations.
federal opposition
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and National Leader David Littleproud have repeatedly called for a Commonwealth commission. Ley accused Albanese of having something to hide by not calling the commission.
Ley said on January 2: “The Prime Minister called for unity in the early days after the Bondi massacre. We have unity today. We have unity of purpose and we have unity in our demand for this Commonwealth royal commission.”
Littleproud said on January 4: “I think the prime minister has become arrogant, ignorant and aggressive against the wishes of Australians in dealing with this issue and I think he plans to hole up in a cabin and wait for us over the summer. The truth is that our nation needs to look at this atrocity. We have been violated in the most brutal way and a Royal Commission at the federal level is the most important thing.”
Former senior Liberal figures also weighed in, including former prime minister John Howard, former treasurer Josh Frydenberg, former foreign secretary Julie Bishop and former attorney general George Brandis, as well as three former Victorian prime ministers: Jeff Kennett, Ted Baillieu and Dennis Napthine.
Federal parliamentarians (including Labor MPs)
On Monday (January 5), 21 former Labor politicians, staffers and leading party members signed an open letter arguing that only a federal investigation could properly examine the “wider ecosystem of terror and hatred” that led to the Bondi attacks.
Names in the letter include former federal leaders Mike Kelly, Michael Danby, Bernie Ripoll and Peter Baldwin; former Labor MP and union boss Jennie George, Mary Easson, Kim Wilkie and Mike Symon, senators Mark Bishop, Michael Forshaw and Nova Peris; and former NSW and Victorian figures Michael Costa, Eric Roozendaal, Tony Lupton and Danielle Green.
Former Victorian Labor government ministers James Merlino and Phil Dalidakis have also signed other petitions.
Former Olympians and sports stars
More than 60 Australian sports stars, including swimming legends Dawn Fraser, Ian Thorpe and Grant Hackett, have signed an open letter demanding a royal commission.
Speaking at a press conference at Bondi Beach following the signing of the letter, eight-time Olympic medalist Fraser said: “This is not a weapons issue. This is not a one-off issue. This is an antisemitism issue that builds and builds and our leaders sat on their hands, too afraid to say anything or do anything because God forbid they might be called racists.”
business leaders
A letter, facilitated by the Business Council of Australia, calling for a Commonwealth royal commission has been signed by more than 100 Australian business leaders, including former Reserve Bank governors Philip Lowe and Glenn Stevens.
“Without sustainable safe and harmonious workplaces and communities, we cannot deliver prosperity for all Australians, which is the ultimate goal that underpins our organisations’ advocacy and efforts,” the group said in a statement.
Signatories include Woolworths chairman Scott Perkins; BHP chairman Ross McEwan; David Thodey, chancellor of the University of Sydney; former Coca-Cola Amatil boss Alison Watkins; and Ian Silk, former managing director of Australian Super.
legal experts
More than 200 prominent lawyers and former judges, including former Victorian Supreme Court judge Jack Rush and former NSW Supreme Court judge George Palmer, have written a letter calling for a royal commission.
Signatories included former Victorian Supreme Court judge Betty King, who presided over most Melbourne gang trials, and former Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions Ian Temby.
Other influential voices
Nick Newling is the federal politics correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via email.
