Overview
- Senior Labor figures have privately flagged the former High Court justice as the leading option to chair a federal probe, according to multiple reports of internal discussions.
- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is working through details of a national inquiry after weeks of resistance to a royal commission, reporting indicates.
- Virginia Bell declined to comment when approached about the prospect of her appointment on Wednesday evening.
- The government is considering folding the proposed Richardson review of intelligence failings into the national inquiry and exploring alignment with an anticipated NSW royal commission, according to The Age.
- Bell’s credentials include 12 years on the High Court, earlier service as a public defender and NSW appellate judge, counsel work on the Wood Royal Commission, and leading the 2022 review of Scott Morrison’s ministerial self-appointments.