Anthony Albanese has privately signalled that he is prepared to make a major U-turn on his opposition to a royal commission into antisemitism.
The Prime Minister continues to argue internally that tightening hate-speech laws is the most urgent response.
But colleagues have revealed that he has accepted calls for a royal commission are intensifying rather than fading – and that, politically, holding the line may no longer be sustainable.
Sources familiar with the discussions told news.com.au that Albanese has privately acknowledged the likelihood of shifting his position, although a final decision has yet to be locked in.
‘If you asked me two weeks ago, I would have said there’s a 5 per cent chance of a royal commission. My honest assessment right now I would put it at 90 per cent,’ a Labor source claimed.
‘They are shifting. We are shifting. We have to. And it will be a matter of time, but we will shift.
‘Imagine if something else happens, and what are we then? We’re the guys that have said no to the Royal Commission. He understands that.
‘We can’t be on the other side of the victims. And he doesn’t want to be on the other side of the victims.’
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has privately signalled he is prepared to shift his opposition to a royal commission into antisemitism
Albanese has been accused of ignoring the pleas of Bondi victims’ families after he declared there will not be a royal commission.
Instead, retired spy boss Dennis Richardson is due to lead a government review, which will examine the conduct of federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies prior to the attack, with findings due by April.
The Prime Minister has previously argued the Richardson Review will provide swift answers and prevent the politicisation of a moment of national grief.
‘My job as the leader, as the Prime Minister, is to bring the country together – not to divide, not to seek differentiation, but to seek common interest,’ he said.
‘We need to go to the heart of what occurred and, importantly, ensure this never happens again.’
Experts also caution that royal commissions, while the highest form of inquiry, often take years and demand precise terms of reference and actionable recommendations.
However, there has been a growing wave of support for a commission, including an open letter signed by more than 20 former senior Labor figures.
The group, including ministers, MPs, senators, and party and union officials, said only a Commonwealth inquiry could unpack the ‘broader ecosystem of terror and hate and the capacity of the agencies to monitor terrorist threats’.
Albanese has been accused of ignoring the pleas of Bondi victims’ families after he declared there will not be a royal commission (pictured, mourners and flowers at Bondi Pavilion)
‘At stake is the health of our democracy and our national security,’ the letter reads.
‘Australians who are Jewish were the main target of this attack but all Australians are made less safe by the extremism that has inexorably escalated into lethal actions.’
The Coalition, victims’ families and Jewish community leaders have also demanded one.
The federal government is expected to recall the parliament early before Australia Day to strengthen hate speech laws and introduce measures aimed at tackling hatred.
A date for parliament’s early return has been the topic of much discussion in Canberra corridors but, as of Tuesday morning, is yet to be confirmed.
Federal MPs and senators are currently slated to return to Parliament House on February 3.
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said parliament should have been recalled before Christmas to respond to the terror attack.
‘The prime minister does need to yield to the calls now,’ she told Nine’s Today program on Tuesday.
The federal government is expected to recall the parliament early but Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said it should have returned before Christmas
‘Earlier on, he called for unity. He now has unity across this country. Every day, more and more decent Australians are stepping up.’
Alongside many Jewish leaders, a business collective and a clutch of sporting stars have also penned open letters calling for a royal commission.
Health Minister Mark Butler said while he respected those calls as ‘sincere and heartfelt’, he pointed to a planned NSW state royal commission to tackle many of those issues.
‘These calls are something that we respect and, of course, listen to. But our work right now is on those urgent and immediate things,’ he told ABC News Breakfast.
‘We’ve got a lot of urgent and immediate work that has been focusing our energy over the last few weeks.’
