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.
The United States has launched strikes on Iran late Tuesday near the Strait of Hormuz with Iranian state media reporting explosions in several...
Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) have gathered in Bishkek for a summit focused on trade, investment and transport as the...
Russia has rejected German allegations that Moscow was behind an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport, calling the claims “baseles...
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan have concluded talks in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, as leaders gather for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.
Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) have gathered in Bishkek for a summit focused on trade, investment and transport as the group marks 25 years since its creation.
U.S. forces struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island on Sunday, with Tehran responding by launching ballistic missiles at two U.S. bases in Jordan in the first direct U.S.-Iran military escalation in weeks.
Kyrgyzstan is hosting the sixth World Nomad Games, bringing together thousands of athletes from around the world for a celebration of traditional sports, cultural heritage and nomadic traditions.
Russia views NATO’s growing military activity in the Arctic as a direct threat to its national security, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
The United States has launched strikes on Iran late Tuesday near the Strait of Hormuz with Iranian state media reporting explosions in several areas including Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island.
Russia has rejected German allegations that Moscow was behind an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport, calling the claims “baseless”, as Russian air attacks killed at least 12 people in Kyiv and the surrounding region earlier on Tuesday.
China used this week's Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit to deepen ties across Central Asia, turning a largely symbolic multilateral gathering into a series of bilateral agreements and modest progress toward a long-discussed SCO Development Bank.
Türkiye has drawn up a plan to restore safe grain shipments through the Black Sea and is discussing the proposal with both Moscow and Kyiv, its foreign minister Hakan Fidan said on Monday.
Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has held a series of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, with China, Russia, Pakistan, the United States and the United Nations among the key partners on Uzbekistan’s agenda.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment