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. efforts to squeeze Iran’s economy through an oil blockade and sanctions are becoming increasingly difficult for Tehran to withstand, acc...
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Russia then Ukraine over the weekend, Russian state news agency TASS has reported, citi...
The 83rd Venice Film Festival has opened on the Lido, bringing Hollywood stars and leading filmmakers together for a programme dominated by war, po...
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he thinks there is a chance of a peace being reached with Ukraine. He told the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia that he believed there was "a chance of finding a solution," to the conflict.
The Iranian Health Ministry said at least 18 people were killed and 142 others injured in U.S. airstrikes carried out between 30 August and 2 September.
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Russia then Ukraine over the weekend, Russian state news agency TASS has reported, citing an unnamed source. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also said American envoys will visit the capitals of both countries.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 3rd of September, covering the latest developments.
Thousands of residents of Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta took to the streets on Wednesday to protest the government’s handling of a migration crisis that followed a deadly border surge in July.
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Russia then Ukraine over the weekend, Russian state news agency TASS has reported, citing an unnamed source. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also said American envoys will visit the capitals of both countries.
Southern Chinese provinces were bracing for more torrential rain on Friday after Typhoon Saudel triggered severe flooding, swamping vehicles, collapsing at least one building and forcing mass evacuations.
President Donald Trump is leaving more than a paper trail from his time in office. The U.S. is now minting commemorative $1 coins for America’s 250th anniversary, featuring a portrait of the sitting president.
Pacific Island leaders expressed concern about China's Pacific missile test at their annual summit, though Nauru formally dissented, in a meeting largely overshadowed by Beijing's objections to Taiwan's presence.
China’s southern coastal provinces of Fujian and Guangdong are bracing for more torrential rain after Typhoon Saudel triggered widespread flooding, swept away vehicles and caused a three-storey building to collapse.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment