An initial inquiry into last year’s mass shooting at Bondi Beach has called for counter-terrorism reforms, increased security at Jewish public events, and further gun control measures.
The interim report, released on Thursday (30 April) by a Royal Commission, sets out 14 recommendations following the attack on 14 December during a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney. Fifteen people were killed in what has been described as the deadliest mass shooting in Australia in three decades.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government would accept all of the recommendations. He noted that, while the report does not propose immediate legislative changes, it highlights ways to strengthen existing counter-terrorism capabilities.
“This is as the government envisaged - that the first task of the Royal Commission, the priority, was to look at the security elements of these issues,” he said. Albanese also added that, due to national security concerns, five of the recommendations have not been made public.
The report found that Australia’s current legal and regulatory frameworks did not prevent security agencies from responding to the attack. However, it identified areas where coordination and preparedness could be improved at both federal and state levels.
Among the proposals is a comprehensive review of joint counter-terrorism teams, with results to be delivered within three months to police leaders and the head of the country’s domestic intelligence agency.
The report also suggests updating the national counter-terrorism handbook more rapidly and involving senior government officials in training exercises.
Security arrangements for major Jewish religious occasions, including Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, are expected to be expanded to cover a broader range of events and gatherings.
The inquiry also recommends accelerating plans for a national gun buyback scheme.
The Bondi Beach attack shocked a country known for its strict firearms laws and led to renewed calls for stronger action against antisemitism and gun violence. Authorities have said the two suspects, a father and son, were influenced by the Islamic State group.
The Royal Commission was established in January after pressure from Jewish organisations and victims’ families, who had urged the government to launch a full investigation.
Public hearings are due to begin next week, with the Commission’s final report expected by the end of the year.
U.S. Donald Trump has said he has cancelled planned strikes on Iranian oil and gas ports announced earlier on Thursday. Trump said he made the decisio...
Britain's Defence Minister, John Healey, and Armed Forces Minister, Al Carns, have resigned from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government over a...
Spanish football club Real Madrid has appointed José Mourinho as its new manager. The 63-year-old nicknamed “the special one” returns to the hel...
Pakistan says it has killed 26 militants in strikes on terrorist hideouts along the Afghan border, marking the most significant escalation between the...
Canada’s Privacy Commissioner has found that xAI’s Grok chatbot and its parent company X Corp. violated federal privacy law by launching an AI ima...
U.S. Donald Trump has said he has cancelled planned strikes on Iranian oil and gas ports announced earlier on Thursday. Trump said he made the decision after senior leadership in Iran agreed to peace talks.
Britain's Defence Minister, John Healey, and Armed Forces Minister, Al Carns, have resigned from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government over a disagreement about defence spending.
Spanish football club Real Madrid has appointed José Mourinho as its new manager. The 63-year-old nicknamed “the special one” returns to the helm of Spain’s most successful football club, more than a decade since his last stint as the team's manager.
Canada’s Privacy Commissioner has found that xAI’s Grok chatbot and its parent company X Corp. violated federal privacy law by launching an AI image-generation tool without adequate safeguards, enabling the creation and distribution of non-consensual sexualised deepfakes.
Mexico and South Africa meet in Thursday’s World Cup opener in Mexico City, with both teams approaching the match from very different positions but facing their own pressures.
Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry says 19 citizens have been repatriated following a deadly drone attack on two cargo ships in the Sea of Azov on 5 June.
The Pakistani city of Karachi is struggling under severe heat and humidity as the country enters a prolonged heatwave period. The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has warned of above-normal temperatures across much of the country between 7 and 12 June.
Ukraine's military said it struck a Russian "shadow fleet" tanker in the Black Sea as part of ongoing efforts to disrupt Moscow's energy and logistics networks. The move underscores Kyiv's focus on targeting maritime assets it says are used to bypass sanctions on Russian oil exports.
U.S. forces say they have completed strikes on Iranian military sites near the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded with missile attacks on an American base in Jordan, marking a sharp escalation in tensions between the two sides.
More than a third of Belgium’s population now has a foreign background, according to new figures released by the national statistics office, Statbel. The data show that around 4.34 million of the country’s nearly 11.7 million residents do not have an entirely Belgian background.
Fuel stations across the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula ran dry on Thursday as Ukraine stepped up attacks on supply routes to the region.
Britain's Defence Minister, John Healey, and Armed Forces Minister, Al Carns, have resigned from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government over a disagreement about defence spending.
Spanish football club Real Madrid has appointed José Mourinho as its new manager. The 63-year-old nicknamed “the special one” returns to the helm of Spain’s most successful football club, more than a decade since his last stint as the team's manager.
Pakistan says it has killed 26 militants in strikes on terrorist hideouts along the Afghan border, marking the most significant escalation between the neighbouring countries since a China-brokered diplomatic effort helped ease tensions earlier this year.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment