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Australia Orders Security Agency Review After Bondi Attack, Declines Royal Commission

Is a royal commission needed to expose government failures, or would it delay urgent action against rising antisemitism?

Published 1 day ago

Australia Orders Security Agency Review After Bondi Attack, Declines Royal Commission

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Above: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks at Parliament House in Canberra on Dec. 19, 2025. Image credit: Hilary Wardhaugh/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-government narrative

Royal commissions take many years, while urgent action is needed now to implement security recommendations and protect Australians. The independent Richardson review will deliver facts quickly without providing a public platform for the worst voices of antisemitism to relive hateful statements from the past two years. Federal agencies need immediate improvements in the months ahead, not delays from a years-long inquiry that doesn't suit sensitive national security investigations.

Anthony Albanese on X Guardian The Sydney Morning Herald

Government-critical narrative

Albanese owes grieving families answers and accountability for ignoring clear warning signs while anti-Semitic hatred and Islamic extremism grew dangerously unchecked. Jewish Australians now live in fear at schools, workplaces and public spaces, facing a national crisis that demands a powerful national response through a royal commission. The Prime Minister is thumbing his nose at victims' families — hiding behind process and fearing what a royal commission would expose about his government's failings.

Sussan Ley on X Daily Mail The Australian