Victims’ families ignored as Albanese rejects royal commission

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has rejected calls for a federal royal commission into the Bondi terror attack, including pleas from victims’ families, suggesting the decision is “in the national interest”.

On Monday Albanese published the terms of reference for his government’s review, to be led by experienced former Asio chief Dennis Richardson.

The Richardson Review, led by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, will investigate law enforcement’s response to the attack and deliver its report in April.

The review will assess information sharing between federal and state agencies, legal frameworks, and whether additional measures could have prevented the massacre.

When asked about an open letter from families of 11 Bondi victims calling for a royal commission and stating the federal response had been inadequate, Albanese said such an inquiry would not be appropriate.

“The issue there is that royal commissions can be good at deciding facts. What the Richardson review will do is decide facts. Where royal commissions are not as good, is to consider things that are not agreed, where people have differences of views, and to enable, which is what it would do, a repetition of some of the worst developments,” he said.

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said Albanese’s response “insulted those who have endured the unimaginable” and accused him of failing to listen to the victims’ families’ request.

“The families of victims want this commonwealth royal commission,” she said.

“The Jewish community wants it. Eminent Australians want it. And I suspect millions of ordinary Australians want it too. Former governors general want it. Judges, former AFP commissioners, senior lawyers and security experts want it. The Coalition wants it. Even Labor MPs want it.

“Today, the Prime Minister thumbed his nose at these families and told them, in effect, that he knows better.

“Instead of the truth, he’s hiding behind process. By speaking over victims and their families and declaring that his pathway forward is the right one, the Prime Minister has actually insulted those who have endured the unimaginable.

“It is not protective, it is patronising.

“It’s also an insult to the Australian people. Australians do not need to be shielded from the truth.”

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin said a federal was royal commission was “the least that can be done to bring some semblance of justice”.

“The families have spoken very clearly, the community has spoken, and the government’s approach articulated today by the prime minister has been indicative of how they’ve handled this crisis for over two years now,” he said.

“They drag their feet, they don’t listen to the experts and to the community, and then what they propose is an ineffective half measure and we’re expected to be assured that the government knows best how to keep the community safe when we have just seen that they clearly don’t.

“We deserve answers. Only a royal commission has the coercive powers to get to the bottom of how this was allowed to happen and what needs to change in this country to prevent the next massacre.”

Albanese said Richardson would consider whether federal agencies “performed to maximum effectiveness” and what they knew about the attackers prior to the attack, the intelligence sharing with state and federal bodies, and the decision-making of the agencies.

“My heart breaks for the families of the victims of the Bondi terrorist atrocity,” Albanese said.

“My heart goes out to them at what is an incredibly traumatic time.

“My job as the Australian Prime Minister is to act in the national interest. It is in the national interest for us to do the Richardson review on national security, on any gaps which are there in the conduct of our agencies, including the AFP, ASIO, ASIS, the interaction between the commonwealth and state jurisdictions, any gaps which are there, and to then make sure that we act on the recommendations which are there.

“The other proposals which are there, there is a proposal from the Leader of the Opposition that has 73 different sub-items to be considered going forward.

“The issue there is that royal commissions can be good at deciding facts. What the Richardson review will do is decide facts.

“Where royal commissions are not as good is to consider things that are not agreed, where people have differences of views, and to enable – which is what it would do – a repetition of some of the worst elements.”