Albanese orders federal royal commission into antisemitism after reversal

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a federal royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion from a lectern at Parliament House in Canberra, reversing a position he had defended ten days earlier and saying such an inquiry is vital to heal and unite a wounded nation after its worst-ever terror attack.

The inquiry will be led by former high court justice Virginia Bell, will fold former spy chief Dennis Richardson's snap review of intelligence and security agencies into its work, and Bell is due to report no later than 14 December — exactly 12 months on from the massacre that killed 15 people and wounded 40.

The terms of reference will require the inquiry not to prejudice current or future criminal trials and to be conducted in a format that does not platform racial hatred. Albanese said he respects people's views and listens to them and that he takes the time to choose the right path.

Sources familiar with his thinking said he was never hostile to a royal commission but focused first on immediate steps including hate speech, gun control and responding to Jillian Segal's antisemitism review. Critics inside the Labor caucus said he made a political calculation and that public pressure forced the change of course.

Key Topics

Politics, Anthony Albanese, Virginia Bell, Dennis Richardson, Bondi Attack, Jillian Segal