Anthony Albanese grilled on Sunrise over claim royal commission called in ‘record time’

Despite weeks of pressure from across the country following the Bondi Beach terror attack, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has insisted the just-announced royal commission into antisemitism was called in “record time”.

The PM revealed details of the Commonwealth probe at a press conference in Canberra on Thursday afternoon, confirming it will examine the events leading up to the massacre. Former High Court justice Virginia Bell will lead the commission.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Albanese claims royal commission called in ‘record time’

Speaking on Sunrise on Friday, Albanese maintained the decision had been made within the right timeframe, saying it involved consultation with victims’ families and careful consideration of ongoing legal proceedings.

“This is actually record time for a royal commission; the last funeral for the victims was just two days ago,” he said.

“I’ve sat down in the homes of families who are grieving. I’ve listened to them. We’ve made sure that we’ve got this right, in an orderly way.

“We also wanted to make sure that there wasn’t any interference with legal processes,” he said, noting there will be a court case going ahead for one of the alleged perpetrators.

Sunrise presenters Edwina Bartholomew and David Woiwod pressed Albanese on that point, questioning why, if the process had been so timely, he had not previously indicated that a royal commission was still on the table amid growing public anger over the delay.

In response, Albanese noted he would comply with the NSW Royal Commission, which will no longer go ahead.

Bartholomew also grilled the PM on why he still hasn’t met with all the families of the attack victims.

“I’ve had very different conversations with members of the Jewish community. I’ve sat in people’s homes, I’ve had people to Kirribilli House, I’ve met people by their hospital beds,” Albanese replied.

“My priority has been dealing with all of those issues while making sure that we got any decision around a Commonwealth royal commission right.”

Albanese had earlier warned that a royal commission could expose divisions and risk causing further harm, a concern he now says he and his team have worked tirelessly to avoid.

“What we’ve done is look at ways we can alleviate those concerns,” he said, highlighting that the commission can not interfere with any court cases and noting there has never previously been a royal commission undertaken while legal proceedings are underway.

He also admitted he was disappointed by how political the debate became in the hours following the attack.

“There shouldn’t be any politics in this. This is a moment for the nation to come together,” Albanese said, saying he has chosen not to respond to many political comments being made publicly.

His focus, he said, was to work with families to handle the matter with “dignity and respect”.

Albanese denied claims that his government had waited to make a decision on a royal commission, but instead reacted to the more immediately pressing issues at hand, such as risks to national security.

“What we did do was act immediately on the things that were required, that were the immediate priorities,” he said.

The commission will cover four key areas in its terms of reference:

• Tackling antisemitism by investigating the nature and prevalence of antisemitism.
• Making recommendations to assist law enforcement, border control, immigration and security agencies to tackle antisemitism.
• Making recommendations to assist law enforcement, border control, immigration and security agencies to tackle antisemitism.
• Examine the circumstances surrounding the Bondi terror attack on December 14.
• Make any other recommendations for strengthening social cohesion in Australia and countering the spread of ideological and religiously motivated extremism in Australia.

The mass shooting at Bondi, allegedly carried out by Sajid Akram, 50, and his son Naveed Akram, 24, left 15 people dead and dozens more injured.

Sajid was killed by police during the attack, while Naveed has been charged with 59 offences, including murder and attempted murder.

He is expected to front court on April 8.