Initial Australian inquiry into Bondi Beach shooting calls for counter-terrorism reforms

By Renju Jose

SYDNEY, April 30 (Reuters) – An interim report into last year’s Bondi Beach mass shooting on Thursday advised increased security around Jewish public events and further gun reforms among 14 initial recommendations, but found Australia’s legal and regulatory frameworks did not hinder security agencies in preventing or responding to the attack.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his government would adopt all the initial recommendations made by the Royal Commission, the nation’s most powerful inquiry, into the December 14 shooting at a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, which left 15 dead.

While the report did not propose urgent changes, it outlined recommendations to strengthen Australia’s counter-terrorism capabilities, Albanese told reporters.

“This is as the government envisaged – that the first task of the Royal Commission, the priority, was to look at the security elements of these issues,” he said.

Five of the recommendations remain classified due to sensitive national security concerns, Albanese added.

The attack at Bondi Beach stunned Australia, a country known for its strict gun laws, and prompted widespread calls for enhanced measures against antisemitism and tighter firearm controls. Authorities have said the alleged perpetrators, a father and son duo, were inspired by the Islamic State militant group. It was the deadliest mass gun attack in the country in three decades.

The Royal Commission was established in January following mounting pressure from Jewish advocacy groups and victims’ families, who criticised Albanese’s initial hesitation in launching the inquiry.

The 154-page interim report recommends a comprehensive review of the country’s joint counter-terrorism teams, with findings to be submitted to police commissioners and the director-general of security within three months. 

It also calls for expanded security protocols during Jewish High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, to include other high-profile Jewish festivals and events.

Additional measures include updating the counter-terrorism handbook promptly and involving senior government officials in counter-terrorism exercises, and accelerating efforts to implement a proposed national gun buyback plan.

“The review has revealed aspects in which counter-terrorism capability at federal and state levels could be improved,” the report noted.

Public hearings by the commission are scheduled to start next week, with a final report due by the end of the year.

(Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)