Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was jeered by the audience at the Sunday Hanukkah candle lighting and vigil for Bondi Beach massacre victims, as the Australian leader faces criticism for measures against antisemitism and calls from the Jewish community for an independent public inquiry.
As New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies president David Ossip thanked dignitaries for attending the Light Over Darkness commemoration for the Bondi victims, the crowd booed at the mention of Albanese. Ossip chided the crowd for its expressions of disapproval. In contrast, NSW Premier Chris Minns received a resounding applause and standing ovation when he went to speak, and when his name was mentioned by Ossip for not missing “ a funeral, synagogue service, or opportunity to be with the Jewish community this week.”
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation also reported that Albanese had been jeered at when he arrived at the event, which saw the participation of almost 20.000 people supporting the families and victims.
While Albanese had called for his office to conduct a review into the country’s law enforcement and intelligence agencies that morning, Jewish leaders called for an independent royal commission at the vigil.
Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Daniel Aghion said during his memorial speech that the Jewish community had “warned the government of the risk, again and again” after “two years of unrelenting vitriol,” and that now “every level of government from the federal down and every sector of society must take the necessary steps to make us all safe,” including the “necessary step” of a “commonwealth royal commission.”
Ossip also noted that the government had been warned about how rising antisemitism could result in incidents such as last Sunday’s terrorist attack, and how the security arrangements that the Jewish community had to live under as an answer should never have been accepted as the norm.
“How much more tragic is it that the loss of life occurred despite all the warning signs being there,” said Ossip. “It cannot be disputed that we need a royal commission which goes beyond NSW to get to the bottom of how this catastrophe took place.”
Minns indicates support for royal commission
Minns had indicated support for a royal commission, but the prime minister had only said on Saturday that the federal government would support the state government in its actions.
Federal opposition leader Sussan Ley thanked Minns for his support of a royal commission, and called on Albanese to clarify his own position. Ley said the prime minister should meet with her and Jewish leaders to set the terms of a bipartisan commission to investigate the rise of antisemitism and government inaction.
“Prime minister, the time for words is finished,” said Ley. “The time for action is now.”
On Sunday, Albanese called for the cabinet and the Department of the Prime Minister to examine whether federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies had the right powers, structures, and procedures to keep Australians safe following the massacre. Former Department of Defence secretary Dennis Richardson was assigned to lead the review, which would be made public at the end of April.
“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,” Albanese said.
Australian Security Intelligence Organization Director-General Mike Burgess welcomed the review and promised that his agency would fully cooperate. He added that immediately after the attacks, he initiated an internal review of the decision-making processes relevant to the incident. Burgess assured that these results will also be made public.
“I expect the findings will give the public confidence that ASIO acts appropriately, legally, and proportionately to protect Australians,” said Burgess. “I welcome scrutiny and embrace accountability, but some of the recent criticisms of ASIO have been unfounded. The review provides an opportunity for us to refute claims such as we failed to pass on relevant intelligence, defunded and deprioritized counter-terrorism, and ‘purged’ our experienced counter-terrorism officers. None of these claims are true.”
However, Albanese opponents such as Sen. Andrew Bragg called the prime minister’s decision to have his office conduct the review “offensive.”
The prime minister’s department “doing the Bondi inquiry is like putting the fox in charge of the hen house,” Bragg said on X on Sunday.
Last Monday, Ossip criticized the federal government for a failure of leadership against antisemitism, a point that Aghion continued on Thursday in response to a series of proposals from the Albanese government. The ECAJ president criticized the government for taking necessary steps only after Australians were slaughtered.
“The history of antisemitism is that it can only be dealt with by prompt and effective leadership, and a strong response. Until today, that is what has been lacking,” Aghion said on Thursday.
Albanese responded to criticism of his leadership on Saturday, arguing that it was time for unity rather than partisan politics.
“This is a time for us to unite together in what we know is in Australia’s national interest. And I note that tomorrow evening the theme is A Night of Unity – Light over Darkness,” said Albanese. “We will certainly reach out to the opposition, and continue to do so. We want these issues to not be issues which are partisan because that is what Australians expect of their government, but also what they expect of their Parliament.”