Overview
- Families of those killed and injured published an open letter urging a federal royal commission into rising antisemitism and alleged policing, intelligence and policy failures tied to the Dec. 14 Bondi massacre.
- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese rejected a royal commission and announced terms for an independent review led by Dennis Richardson, with findings due in April.
- The Richardson review will scrutinize ASIO, the AFP and other agencies’ powers, information-sharing and prior knowledge of the alleged attackers, and assess whether additional actions could have prevented the attack.
- The government argues a royal commission would be too slow and risk platforming extremist rhetoric, while opposition figures, legal experts and some Labor MPs back a Commonwealth inquiry.
- NSW is proceeding with a state royal commission and tighter gun, hate-speech and protest controls as police investigate the IS-inspired father–son shooting that killed 15, with nine people still in hospital including three in critical but stable condition.