Bondi royal commission: Albanese tipped to call joint NSW-Federal inquiry within days

Anthony Albanese is tipped to announce a royal commission into the Bondi Beach terror attack and extremism within days, with NSW putting the ball in the Prime Minister’s hands over calling a joint inquiry.

NSW Premier Chris Minns has promised to call a State royal commission that would canvass the events leading up to the December 14 shooting and anti-Semitism.

Mr Albanese’s insistence there didn’t also need to be a Commonwealth royal commission softened this week when he emphasised that he had been talking to NSW about how an inquiry would work.

“The New South Wales Government have said that they will have a royal commission. But we’re talking to New South Wales about how that would operate. And we’re talking with the community,” he said on Tuesday.

“I continue to be engaged with leaders in the Jewish community. I’m talking and meeting on a daily basis with people to make sure that we do everything that is possible to, as I have said, what we need to do is to promote unity at this time, and that is my focus.”

He’s now understood to be actively considering a way forward on the royal commission impasse, as Mr Minns works through the terms of reference for a NSW one.

Mr Albanese and Mr Minns both attended the funeral for Peter Meagher on Wednesday, the fifteenth and final Bondi victim to be buried. It’s the first that the Prime Minister has been to.

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and Governor-General Sam Mostyn also attended.

The Prime Minister has spent weeks brushing off mounting calls for a Commonwealth royal commission, instead tasking former top national security boss Dennis Richardson with a four-month examination of police and intelligence agencies.

Royal commission expert Scott Prasser told this masthead that a joint Commonwealth-NSW inquiry was the only way to avoid jurisdictional barriers that ones run separately at either level would encounter.

A Labor source acknowledged that Mr Minns requesting a joint royal commission could give the PM a politically acceptable way forward.

NSW would welcome federal involvement in establishing a royal commission, but views the final decision as now being in the Prime Minister’s hands.

Both governments are considering which senior current or former judges would be most suitable as commissioners, with expectations that more than one would be appointed.

Mr Richardson’s review could be rolled into the royal commission, which could make interim reports where changes were needed quickly.

It came hours after Ms Ley doubled down on calls for a Federal royal commission into anti-Semitism, pointing to the lengthy draft terms of reference the Coalition released 16 days ago.

She now says the terms of reference must be agreed to by the families of the 15 victims of the Bondi Beach shooting, they must include an examination of Cabinet and ministerial decisions, and address the rise of anti-Semitism and extremist ideology, including radical Islamic extremism, neo-nazis and the “far left”.

“Whatever we do as a country, must embrace victims, families and the national interest. With respect to what is a national crisis, it’s time for the Prime Minister to look in the right direction with clear eyes and clear vision for the national interest of the country,” Ms Ley said on Wednesday.

“What is most important is that radical Islamic extremism and neo-nazi ideology, however people may choose to frame that in a left-right continuum, that they are included. And I say this because victims’ families are demanding it.”

A group of 32 former national security and Defence leaders added to the calls for a Commonwealth inquiry on Wednesday with a joint statement that followed ones from families of the Bondi victims, business leaders, employer groups, sporting stars and former Labor politicians.

“A Federal royal commission will help unify the country around seeking solutions, moving beyond recrimination and find a better way forward,” the security figures said.

“A Federal royal commission could be conducted quickly, could complement State-level inquiries, would have the powers to handle sensitive security issues and would not slow down necessary policy and administrative reforms.”

Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff wrote to Mr Albanese on Wednesday saying that his Liberal government also backed a national royal commission.

Parliament is expected to return within a fortnight to deal with new laws toughening hate speech provisions and powers to cancel visas.

After calls for those laws to also offer greater protections to LGBTQIA people, Ms Ley said she wouldn’t expect to see that in any legislation put forward.

“Tackling hate speech is not a licence to go after free speech,” she said.

“It needs to be targeted to the threats that we face, and those threats are radical Islamic extremism and anti-Semitism. That’s what we want to see in this legislation.”

Cabinet minister Julie Collins said the Government had been listening a responding community concerns.

“We have been very clear from the beginning that, as a Government, our first and primary concern has been making sure that as a Federal Government we do everything that we responsibly can to make sure that we have social cohesion in Australia, to make sure we’re doing everything we can to stamp out anti-Semitism and that we can support the community,” she said.