Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has engaged in a fiery parliamentary exchange after the opposition accused him of misleading the public over security advice concerning an inquiry into the Bondi Beach terror attack.
Question Time Confrontation Over Inquiry Timing
During the first Question Time since the December 14 massacre, Opposition Leader Sussan Ley launched a direct attack. She accused the Prime Minister of dragging his feet on calling a Commonwealth Royal Commission despite appeals from grieving families. Ley challenged Albanese over his past statements, where he cited unnamed national security experts as supporting a closed-door review instead of a public inquiry.
"The Prime Minister told Australians that the national security experts advised against a Commonwealth Royal Commission," Ley stated. She then posed a pointed question: "In establishing the Royal Commission, is the Prime Minister defying national security advice or was he just making stuff up?"
Albanese's Defence and Counter-Attack
In a robust response, Anthony Albanese hit back, stating he could not openly discuss deliberations of the National Security Council. He then turned the focus onto the Coalition, questioning the status of legislation they claimed to have prepared after the tragedy.
"I tell you what, see if you can find a national security expert that does not support the gun laws that went through this parliament with the support of this side but not that side," he declared, gesturing towards the opposition benches. He criticised a "gap between the rhetoric of those opposite and what they have actually done."
Earlier, Labor MPs had shouted over Ley as she criticised the government's response, claiming families "had to beg the Prime Minister, through their grief and tears" for a commission into antisemitism.
Apologies and Justifications for the Delay
When asked to apologise for the delay, Albanese expressed sorrow for the suffering of the Jewish community but did not say sorry for the timing of the Royal Commission announcement. "As I have said, I am sorry that this occurred, sorry for the grief and pain the Jewish community in our entire nation has experienced," he affirmed.
Jewish Liberal MP Julian Leeser confronted the Prime Minister directly, asking why he spent 25 days arguing against a Royal Commission if it was such a good idea. Albanese explained the government had been consulting on the commission's structure to "get it right," citing risks due to an ongoing concurrent criminal case.
He also condemned what he called the "character assassination" of former High Court justice Virginia Bell, appointed to lead the inquiry, suggesting such attacks validated the government's cautious approach.
Legislative Progress on Gun and Hate Speech Laws
Separately, on Tuesday, the House of Representatives passed two significant pieces of legislation. These bills, covering gun reform and new hate-speech laws, are now set for debate in a late-night Senate session. If approved, they will return to the lower house for a final vote on Wednesday.
