Australia will hold a royal commission inquiry into the mass shooting that killed 15 people at Bondi Beach, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, as he faced public demands for answers.
“I’ve repeatedly said that our government’s priority is to promote unity and social cohesion. And this is what Australia needs to heal,” he told reporters on Thursday.
Sajid Akram and his son Naveed allegedly targeted Jews attending a Hannukah celebration near the beach in an Daesh-inspired attack on December 14, the nation’s worst mass shooting for 30 years.
The federal royal commission, the highest level of government inquiry, will probe everything from intelligence failures to the prevalence of anti-Semitism in Australia.
Victims’ families, business leaders, sports stars and eminent scientists have put their names to open letters urging a sweeping investigation into the attack.
Albanese repeatedly brushed off these demands, saying he was focused on “urgent action”, but mounting public pressure led him to relent.
“What we’ve done is listen, and we’ve concluded that where we have landed today is an appropriate way forward for national unity,” Albanese said.
Royal commissions hold public hearings and can sometimes run for years.
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The Bondi Beach shooting inquiry will be led by Virginia Bell, a widely respected former High Court judge.
Alleged gunman Sajid Akram, 50, was shot and killed by police during the assault.
An Indian national, he entered Australia on a visa in 1998.
His 24-year-old son Naveed, an Australian-born citizen who remains in prison, has been charged with terrorism and 15 murders.
The mass shooting has sparked national soul-searching, anger over the failure to shield Australians from harm, and promises to stiffen gun laws.