EDITORIAL: Bondi royal commission must be free to probe widely
It now seems it is not a case of if the Federal Government calls a royal commission into events that led to the Bondi massacre, but when.
The apparent change of tack comes after weeks of stonewalling calls from across the community to set up the inquiry.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had been stubbornly sticking to claim that an examination of police and intelligence agencies by former top national security boss Dennis Richardson would be enough.
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On Tuesday Mr Albanese seemingly opened the door to a royal commission as he pledged to do “everything that is possible” for national unity.
There was further momentum on Wednesday when a group of defence and security experts issued a joint statement urging Mr Albanese to take decisive action and examine anti-Semitism and Islamist extremism.
And so it is timely now to consider what a royal commission might look like.
It must be wide-ranging. The best way to bleach out the creeping anti-Semitism that has stained this country is to expose it to the cleansing power of truth.
Federal Opposition Leader Sussan Ley’s suggestion is a worthy reference point.
Ms Ley says the terms of reference must be agreed to by the families of the 15 victims of the Bondi 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 and neo-Nazis.
Also of merit is former West Australian governor and eminent lawyer Malcolm McCusker’s observation that “warning signs” deserved scrutiny. He reportedly said the 2023 celebration at the Opera House steps of Hamas’ invasion of Israel should be a starting point “at the very latest”.
“I think the important thing is that an investigation examine just how all of this has taken place. Why has there been insufficient action taken to quell what has been a growth in anti-Semitism?” Mr McCusker said.
The growing expectation of the inquiry came as the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age newspapers published a cartoon portraying demands for a royal commission as orchestrated by political and media forces — and driven by Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
The cartoon was slammed as anti-Semitic by leading Jewish figures, including one who was shot in the terrorist attack.
The ball is now in Mr Albanese’s court. Perhaps symbolic was his attendance on Wednesday at the funeral of retired detective Peter Meagher — the last Bondi victim’s funeral and the first attended by the Prime Minister.
Having been dragged towards an inquiry, Mr Albanese must not drop the ball. Nothing less than a full and thorough royal commission — which might be a joint Federal-NSW probe — will suffice.
