'I've listened': After delays, Australian PM Albanese announces Royal Commission into Bondi Beach attack, antisemitism
Australia's Prime Minister announced the Royal Commission inquiry after having met with Jewish families and survivors, he said. The inquiry will take place alongside a separate investigation into law enforcement agencies following the attack
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Australia's Prime Minister announced the Royal Commission inquiry after having met with Jewish families and survivors, he said. The inquiry will take place alongside a separate investigation into law enforcement agencies following the attack
Mourners pay a floral tribute to Bondi Beach shooting victims at the Bondi Pavilion in Sydney, last month. Credit: Saeed Khan/AFP
Mourners pay a floral tribute to Bondi Beach shooting victims at the Bondi Pavilion in Sydney, last month. Credit: Saeed Khan/AFP
08:48 AM • January 08 2026 IST
Australia will hold a Royal Commission inquiry into the Bondi Beach mass shooting in which 15 people were killed, the country's most powerful public inquiry, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday.
The commission will look into antisemitism and social cohesion in Australia, and examine the events leading up to the Bondi Beach shooting. The Royal Commission, a government inquiry that can compel people to give evidence, will be led by retired judge Virginia Bell and is expected to present its findings by the end of this year.
Albanese said that the inquiry will make "recommendations to counteract and prevent manifestations of antisemitism."
"I've listened, and in a democracy that's a good thing. To listen to what people are saying and what people are saying is, yes, we're concerned," Albanese says.
