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Anthony Albanese’s position has remained unchanged after the human rights commissioner entered the political fray to plead for a royal commission into antisemitism.
The prime minister has been inundated with calls from Jewish groups and families of those killed in the Bondi Beach massacre to hold a wide-ranging national inquiry.
Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finlay responded on Wednesday to the Albanese government’s move to instead set up a review into intelligence and law enforcement, led by former Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) boss Dennis Richardson.
Finlay said that review would examine the nation’s national security framework, but insisted understanding the “deeper causes of violence” was critical.
“The attack in Bondi was fueled by antisemitic motives, and addressing this issue head-on should be a top concern for the nation,” she expressed on social media.
“A Federal Royal Commission is essential to fully understand what has happened and ensure it never happens again.”
Finlay is serving a five-year term as commissioner after she was appointed by the Morrison government in 2021.
She was one of three authors to pen a book that argued section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act was “too broad and too vague to be constitutional”.
Her call for a royal commission comes in the wake of an open letter signed by over 135 former judges and senior barristers advocating for the same initiative. However, prominent barrister Robert Richter has voiced opposition to this proposal.
Albanese said there would be no repercussions for Finlay wading into the debate despite being a government-appointed official.
“People are entitled to their opinion,” he told reporters on Thursday at The Entrance, north of Sydney.
“Dennis Richardson … [is] the most qualified person you could possibly have to look at intelligence issues, to look at security issues on a national basis, to get to the heart of the matter.
“He has already initiated efforts, assembling a team dedicated to investigating all these matters,” she added.
Albanese was pressed for names after declaring he had been advised by “actual experts” to hold a departmental review.
He cited Richardson as one of the experts, along with the heads of “all the authorities”.
The review will be completed by the end of April, with the prime minister arguing a royal commission would take years to deliver findings.
NSW Premier Chris Minns has simultaneously committed to a state royal commission into the attack and won’t lobby the prime minister to change his mind.
