Former Liberal treasurer Josh Frydenberg has warned Prime Minister Anthony Albanese against appointing a royal commissioner who he says lacks the confidence of Australia’s Jewish community.
Multiple media reports suggested that former High Court judge Virginia Bell could be chosen to run the royal commission into the Bondi Beach massacre, although Federal Court Judge Michael Lee and former Chief Justice James Allsop are also in the frame.
Bell, who led a probe into Scott Morrison’s multiple ministries saga, has emerged as a frontrunner to head the federal inquiry.
After previously rejecting calls for such an inquiry, Albanese has softened his position on setting up a royal commission into the Dec. 14 terrorist attack, when 15 people were killed, and more than 40 were injured.
But his potential pick to lead the probe is already proving controversial among Jewish groups, despite no decision being formally announced.
Frydenberg, the most senior Jewish MP in the former coalition government, said Jewish leaders had expressed “serious concerns” about the appointment.
“After more than two years of unprecedented hate, harassment, and violence directed towards the Jewish community, culminating in Australia’s deadliest terrorist attack at Bondi Beach, it is unthinkable the prime minister would choose a commissioner that did not have the total confidence of the Jewish community,” he said in a post on social media platform X.
“This is the time to do the right thing and call a commonwealth royal commission with the appointment of the right commissioner whose leadership will provide the answers and solutions our country so urgently needs.”
As the Labor government considers the details of a potential probe, legal experts say a royal commission into New Zealand’s worst mass shooting could provide a blueprint.
The Law Council of Australia has also warned that a royal commission must not interfere with a criminal investigation into the alleged gunman, Naveed Akram, who is before the courts.
Council president Tania Wolff said the NZ royal commission into the 2019 Christchurch mosque terrorist attack, when 51 people were killed, could be used as an example to ensure a criminal case is not compromised.
“It will be vital that the timing, conduct and terms of reference of any royal commission be structured so as not to interfere with ongoing criminal proceedings,” she told AAP.
The Christchurch royal commission’s terms of reference included provisions to hold part of the investigation privately to ensure confidentiality, as well as to restrict access to information to prevent it from affecting a criminal trial.
The Law Council has been among many groups backing calls for a royal commission following the terrorist attack, with Wolff saying a clear focus on anti-Semitism was needed for a commonwealth probe.
“This inquiry must be wide-ranging and look at matters including national security co-ordination, intelligence-sharing arrangements, communications and online regulation, hate speech legislation, counter-terrorism laws, pathways to radicalisation and the effectiveness of preventive frameworks,” Wolff said.
A new poll published by News Corp on Thursday shows 54 per cent of voters agree or strongly agree that the government should call a national royal commission.
The survey of 1,608 voters conducted earlier this week also showed 19 percent disagreed or strongly disagreed, with 27 percent unsure.
Across party lines, the strongest support, as indicated by those who strongly agreed or agreed, was among One Nation voters (73 percent), followed by Coalition voters (68), Greens voters (46), and Labor voters (42).
Others calling for a royal commission include Jewish groups, families of victims of the massacre, as well as prominent Australians and the federal opposition.
A website has also been set up by Melbourne businessman Chris Garnaut to campaign for a commonwealth royal commission.
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