Bondi terror attack: Opening royal commission hearing to zero in on anti-Semitism
The head of a royal commission stemming from the Bondi Beach shooting will reveal her approach to the inquiry as the first public hearing is held.
Anti-Semitism in Australia and how it contributed to the Bondi Beach terrorist attack are set to go under the royal commission microscope.
The first public hearing of the royal commission will start on Tuesday, with commissioner and former High Court judge Virginia Bell to reveal how she will approach the inquiry.
Called about a month after 15 innocent people were killed in the terror attack on December 14, the inquiry will probe the nature, prevalence and key drivers of anti-Semitism in Australia’s society and institutions.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also tasked the royal commission with making recommendations that strengthen wider social cohesion and counter the spread of ideological and religious extremism.
Ms Bell and senior counsel assisting Richard Lancaster will give opening statements on Tuesday, but no evidence will be presented.
Findings and recommendations are due to be handed down by December 14, the first anniversary of the attack.
“I acknowledge the importance of addressing anti-Semitism within the Australian community … I plan to conduct the inquiry as expeditiously as possible,” Ms Bell said.
Jewish advocacy groups have widely welcomed the royal commission, including the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, which described it as “the only way that Australia’s time-honoured standards of decency and fairness can be upheld”.
Other groups have urged the commission to include the voices of other affected communities to explore wider social cohesion.
NSW announced a royal commission soon after the attack and the federal government came under intense political pressure to call its own as the prime minister steadfastly refused to do so.
But he relented in January, with the NSW commission cancelled and a separate inquiry, headed by former ASIO boss Dennis Richardson, to be folded in.
Mr Richardson’s inquiry will scope how potential intelligence failures contributed to the attack.
Federal parliament has passed laws aimed at restricting the ability of hardline radical groups to incite violence against people based on their faith, while also making it easier to deport extremists and deny them entry to Australia.
