- Albanese supports the New South Wales-led commission and resists the federal investigation.
- The minister warns that the national investigation could amplify the worst voices.
- Families believe that the federal response is not enough.
SYDNEY: Families of victims killed in the Bondi Beach mass shooting called on Monday for an independent national inquiry into antisemitism in Australia, saying alleged failures in policing, intelligence and policy enabled the attack.
Father and son, Sajid and Naveed Akram, are accused of attacking a Hanukkah event on Sydney’s Bondi Beach on December 14, killing 15 people and injuring dozens in what authorities have described as an anti-Semitic terrorist attack.
Seventeen families, in an open letter to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, urged him to “immediately establish a Commonwealth Royal Commission into the rapid rise of antisemitism in Australia” and examine “the law enforcement, intelligence and policy failures that led to the Bondi Beach massacre.”
“We demand answers and solutions,” the families wrote.
“We need to know why clear warning signs were ignored, how anti-Semitic hatred and extremism was allowed to grow dangerously unchecked and what changes must be made to protect all Australians in the future.”
Albanese has resisted calls for a federal investigation, citing the need to take urgent action rather than waiting “years for answers.”
“We need to move forward with the necessary changes,” he told reporters on Monday.
“I have nothing but sympathy for those families. My job, as prime minister, is to watch how we build unity, how we build social cohesion, how we do what the nation needs at such a difficult time.”
Albanese said last week that a royal commission led by New South Wales, where the shooting occurred, would be sufficient and pledged full support.
Canberra has flagged a set of reforms to laws on gun ownership and hate speech, as well as an inquiry into police and intelligence services.
Home Secretary Tony Burke warned on Monday that a national royal commission could give “some of the worst statements and worst voices” a platform to revive “the worst examples of antisemitism of the last two years”, which he said was not in the interests of unity or national security.
But families of those killed at Bondi Beach said the federal government’s response is “not enough.”
“We have lost parents, spouses, children and grandparents. Our loved ones were celebrating Hanukkah on Bondi Beach, a festival of light and joy, in an iconic public space that should have been safe,” the letter said.
“They owe us answers. They owe us responsibility. And they owe Australians the truth.”
The families said the rise in antisemitism was a “national crisis”, adding that “the threat was not going away”.
“We need strong action now. We need leadership now. Our loved ones cannot be brought back. But with a well-led Commonwealth Royal Commission and strong action, many more may be saved.”
One of the gunmen, Sajid Akram, 50, was shot dead by police during the attack. An Indian national, he entered Australia with a visa in 1998.
His son Naveed, 24, an Australian citizen, remains in custody and faces multiple charges including terrorism and 15 murders, as well as committing a “terrorist act” and planting a bomb with intent to cause harm.
