Steggall, Scamps back federal royal commission into Bondi terror attack

Independent Warringah MP Zali Steggall has accused the Coalition of “trying to weaponise for political gain” the terror attack in Bondi.

In an interview with the Lorikeet on Tuesday afternoon, Steggall questioned whether the Coalition’s motivation in calling for a royal commission was “to keep Australians safe”, and accused its MPs of “looking for division” rather than “focusing on unity”.

“I do feel some of the calls, especially from the Coalition, have been very politically motivated,” she said, adding that the conservative side of politics had “the backing of certain elements of the media…”

Steggall and fellow northern Independent, Mackellar’s Sophie Scamps, have written to PM Anthony Albanese calling for a royal commission in the wake of the slaughter at Bondi on December 14.

North Shore MPs Nicolette Boele (Bradfield) and Julian Leeser (Berowra) both backed calls for a royal commission on December 22.

Multi-faith parameter: Steggall told the Lorikeet she wants broader terms of reference than the Coalition, saying a royal commission should not be restricted to an inquiry into anti-Semitism, but “address any discrimination that is occurring on the basis of faith”.

“My criticism of the Coalition is their discourse doesn't show respect for the multicultural diversity of Australia and the multi-faith aspect of Australia,” Steggall said.

“I want to look at it from a lens of anti-discrimination on the basis of faith, which ensures you address anti-Semitism, but you also address any discrimination that is occurring on the basis of faith.”

She said any royal commission should look at how our education system instills respect for all faiths, and “interference by foreign nations, which we know has occurred in the past … including Israel”.

It should also ascertain whether media and social media regulations offer “sufficient protection to prevent the rise of religious discrimination and hate on the basis of religion”.

Government response: So far, Albanese has resisted calls to establish a federal royal commission.

Instead, he has announced an independent review investigating the effectiveness of federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies, headed by Dennis Richardson. Richardson served as the director of Australia’s primary intelligence and security agency, ASIO, under John Howard. 

In conjunction with this, NSW Premier Chris Minns has announced a royal commission at the state level. Albanese has committed full participation in this inquiry. 

The NSW Joint Counter Terrorism Team — comprised of NSW Police, AFP, ASIO and the NSW Crime Commission — is leading an investigation into the attack itself. Meanwhile, the State Crime Command's homicide squad is leading its own investigation into the police response to the attack.

Albanese argues that while a royal commission could take years, Richardson would hand down findings by April. 

Asked to predict if PM Anthony Albanese would ultimately buckle and call for a royal commission, the Warringah MP said: “I think the more it's positioned as political point scoring, the less likely it is to happen, which is unfortunate.”

Royal commissions: In Australia, a royal commission is the highest form of inquiry on matters of public importance. They can be established at the state or federal level.

• Royal commissions collect information on an issue, interview witnesses and provide recommendations to the Australian Government. 

• The most recent Australian royal commissions have been into veteran suicides and the robodebt scheme.

Thumbnail: Hilary Wardhaugh via AAP