Teal independents intensify push for Royal Commission into Bondi attack

Pressure is continuing to mount on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to establish a Commonwealth Royal Commission into the Bondi Beach terror attack, with four Teal independents warning that existing reviews will not address federal failures or rising antisemitism.

Independent MPs are the latest group to formally demand a national inquiry, joining earlier calls from Jewish community leaders, business figures, sporting stars, and crossbench politicians. The federal government has so far rejected those calls.

In a joint letter to the Prime Minister, Kooyong MP Monique Ryan, Curtin MP Kate Chaney, Mackellar MP Sophie Scamps and Warringah MP Zali Steggall said only a federal Royal Commission had the authority to fully examine the December 14 attack and the official response to it. Other Teal-aligned independents, Wentworth MP Allegra Spender and Bradfield independent Nicolette Boele, have already voiced support for a national inquiry.

“Only a federal Royal Commission will have the power to comprehensively and independently investigate the circumstances leading to, and authorities’ response to, the attacks, and examine actions and coordination across all levels of government,” the MPs wrote.

The four Teals also called for stronger hate speech laws and increased funding to protect the Jewish community, saying Australia must ensure all communities can practise their traditions “in safety and free from persecution”. They warned that antisemitism had become a national issue requiring federal leadership.

Police investigations into the Bondi massacre are ongoing. The shooting, described as the worst mass killing in Australia in nearly 30 years, left 15 people dead and scores wounded at a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach in Sydney’s east.

The Teals’ intervention comes as the Albanese government faces criticism for relying on an internal review of intelligence and law enforcement agencies, to be led by former intelligence chief Dennis Richardson, alongside a planned NSW Royal Commission.

Wentworth independent Allegra Spender, who publicly called for a Commonwealth Royal Commission in December, said it must examine both federal and state government actions before and after the Bondi Beach attack. In a statement published on December 24, Spender, whose electorate includes Bondi Beach, said accountability was critical and that any inquiry should be conducted in consultation with the Jewish community and victims’ families.

She identified a Royal Commission as the first of five urgent actions required, alongside stronger hate speech laws and a renewed national focus on social cohesion, warning that hatred allowed to normalise inevitably leads to violence. Additional backing has come from ACT Senator David Pocock, Tasmanian MP Andrew Wilkie and South Australian MP Rebekha Sharkie.

Public pressure has also intensified, with business leaders, including James Packer, and more than 60 elite athletes calling for a federal Royal Commission. Olympians Dawn Fraser, Ian Thorpe, Grant Hackett and Nova Peris were among those backing national action.

While the NSW government has committed to a state-based Royal Commission, critics argue it will not be able to fully investigate potential federal intelligence, policing or policy failures in the lead-up to the attack.

Federal Labor frontbencher Tim Ayres warned that a federal Royal Commission could delay the government’s response to the massacre. Speaking to ABC TV, Senator Ayres said the focus should be on urgency and national unity.

“This is the time to act with urgency, to be focused on unity here in Australia,” he said. “This is not the time to be doing things that are politically expedient or politically easy.”

As calls continue to broaden across politics, sport, business and the community, the Teals’ coordinated push has sharpened scrutiny on the government’s refusal to establish a Commonwealth Royal Commission.

Additional reporting: AAP