- Albanese supports NSW-led commission and opposes federal inquiry.
- Minister warns that national investigation could amplify the worst voices.
- Families call federal response not nearly enough.
SYDNEY: Families of victims killed in the Bondi Beach mass shooting called on Monday for an independent national inquiry into anti-Semitism in Australia, alleging failures in policing, intelligence and politics they said enabled the attack.
Father and son Sajid and Naveed Akram are accused of targeting a Hanukkah event on Sydney’s Bondi Beach on December 14, killing 15 people and injuring dozens in what authorities have described as an anti-Semitic terror attack.
Seventeen families, in an open letter to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, called on him to “immediately establish a Commonwealth royal commission into the rapid rise of anti-Semitism in Australia” and investigate “law enforcement, intelligence and policy failures that led to the Bondi Beach massacre”.
“We demand answers and solutions,” the families wrote.
“We need to know why clear warning signs were ignored, how anti-Semitic hatred and extremism were allowed to grow dangerously unchecked and what changes need to be made to protect all Australians going forward.”
Albanese has resisted calls for a federal investigation, citing a need for quick action rather than waiting “years for answers.”
“We have to move forward with the changes that are necessary,” he told reporters on Monday.
“I have nothing but sympathy for those families. My job as prime minister is to look at how we build unity, how we build social cohesion, how we do what the nation needs at a very difficult time.”
Mr Albanese said last week that a New South Wales-led royal commission – where the shooting took place – would be sufficient and pledged full support.
Canberra has flagged a series of reforms to laws on gun ownership and hate speech, as well as an inquiry into police and intelligence services.
Home Secretary Tony Burke warned on Monday that a national royal commission could give “some of the worst statements and worst voices” a platform to relive “the worst examples of anti-Semitism over the last two years”, which he said was not in the interests of unity or national security.
But the families of those killed at Bondi Beach said the federal government’s response is “not nearly enough”.
“We have lost parents, spouses, children and grandparents. Our loved ones celebrated Chanukah on Bondi Beach, a festival of light and joy, in an iconic public space that should have been safe,” the letter said.
“You owe us answers. You owe us accountability. And you owe Australians the truth.”
The families said the rise of anti-Semitism was a “national crisis”, adding that “the threat was not going to go away”.
“We need strong action now. We need leadership now. You cannot bring back our loved ones. But with a well-led Commonwealth Royal Commission and strong action, you may be able to save many more.”
One of the gunmen, Sajid Akram, 50, was shot dead by police during the attack. An Indian citizen, he entered Australia on a visa in 1998.
His 24-year-old son Naveed, an Australian-born citizen, remains in custody and faces multiple charges, including terrorism and 15 murders, as well as committing an “act of terrorism” and planting a bomb with intent to harm.
