Community leaders welcome Albanese’s backflip

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reportedly held a crucial meeting on the morning he announced a Royal Commission into the Bondi terror attack with antisemitism envoy Jillian Segal, and Executive Council of Australian Jewry leaders Peter Wertheim and Daniel Aghion.

The three worked tirelessly behind closed doors to push for a federal inquiry and welcomed the Prime Minister’s decision to change his position amid mounting pressure. “We are especially grateful to the eminent artists, lawyers, business leaders, sporting legends, political figures, women’s organisations and other groups who added their powerful voices to this call,” Aghion said.

Aghion said the terms of reference must allow “an honest examination of government policies and the conduct and policies of key institutions and figures in major sectors of our society in contributing or failing to adequately respond to the unprecedented levels of antisemitism in Australia over the past two years or more.

“This is the only way that Australia’s time-honoured standards of decency and fairness can be upheld,” he said.

There was some disagreement over who should lead the Royal Commission with Albanese settling on retired High Court judge Virginia Bell, while Segal and Aghion relayed calls from community members strongly backing former Federal Court chief justice James Allsop.