Anthony Albanese has softened his resistance to a royal commission into the alleged Bondi terror shooting, opening the door to a national inquiry amid growing pressure, including from victims\u2019 families and some former Labor MPs.<\/p>\n
While the prime minister insisted his priority was still on immediate steps, including a review of Australia\u2019s intelligence<\/a> and law enforcement agencies, he said he was speaking with Jewish community leaders to \u201cexamine everything else required\u201d to respond to the 14 December attack, which left 15 people dead.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m talking and meeting on a daily basis with people to make sure that we do everything that is possible to \u2026 promote unity at this time, and that is my focus,\u201d Albanese said in a press conference on Tuesday.<\/p>\n When asked directly to clarify whether he was changing his mind on his decision to hold a royal commission, Albanese did not rule it out.<\/p>\n The comments mark a shift in language and tone from Albanese, who has previously warned a royal commission would be divisive and potentially delay urgent changes to prevent a repeat of Australia\u2019s worst-ever terrorist attack.<\/p>\n The federal government has faced mounting pressure from across the parliament<\/a>, the media and wider society to call a royal commission into antisemitism and the Bondi attack.<\/p>\n Open letters from victims\u2019 families<\/a>, the business community, sporting identities and some former Labor MPs<\/a> have urged Albanese to convene such an inquiry, in addition to the more narrowly focused review from the former Asio boss Dennis Richardson.<\/p>\n The Law Council of Australia on Tuesday added its weight to those calls, but warned: \u201cThe timing, conduct and terms of reference of any Royal Commission should be structured so as not to interfere with ongoing criminal proceedings\u201d into the Bondi attack.<\/p>\n Sign up: AU Breaking News email<\/a><\/p>\n