Australia’s federal intelligence and law enforcement agencies will be reviewed to assess whether they have appropriate powers and processes in the wake of the Bondi terror attack. 

In a statement, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the review would be completed in April and published.

“The ISIS-inspired atrocity last Sunday reinforces the rapidly changing security environment in our nation. Our security agencies must be in the best position to respond,” he said.

Dennis Richardson, the former head of ASIO and of the departments of defence and foreign affairs, will lead the review through the prime minister’s own department.

Focused on federal agencies including ASIO and the AFP, the review will examine the “powers, structures, processes and sharing arrangements in place to keep Australians safe”.

The move was foreshadowed yesterday and follows calls for a broader royal commission covering antisemitism and other questions related to the attack.

Government frontbenchers had downplayed the need for a royal commission, saying these typically took a long time.

The announcement of a review comes after a meeting of the National Security Committee in Canberra on Sunday.

The committee, comprising senior ministers, has met daily since the attack. The government has announced a series of new measures including a review of hate speech laws and a gun “buyback”.

Today is a national Day of Mourning to mark one week since the attack targeting Jewish Australians attending a Hanukkah event at Bondi Beach and killing 15.

Mr Albanese will attend a service at the site on Sunday evening alongside NSW Premier Chris Minns and Opposition Leader Sussan Ley.

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