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Updated January 7, 2026 \u2014 10:19pm,first published January 7, 2026 \u2014 10:05pm<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n Save this article for later<\/p>\n Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.<\/p>\n Got it<\/p>\n A former High Court justice previously tapped by Labor to probe Scott Morrison\u2019s multiple ministries is in the frame to lead the widely expected federal royal commission into the Bondi killings.<\/p>\n The potential appointment of Virginia Bell has been flagged by senior Labor figures in recent days and has already prompted pushback from some Jewish leaders in NSW, Bell\u2019s home state, over their belief she might be too left-leaning, a claim the government and Bell\u2019s backers in the legal fraternity will challenge.<\/p>\n The private worry expressed by Jewish leaders has complicated the choice for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese as he and his ministers work out details of a national probe he has resisted for weeks.<\/a><\/p>\n Bell declined to comment when contacted by this masthead about the prospect of her appointment on Wednesday evening.<\/p>\n Several sources familiar with tightly held considerations inside the government, none of whom were willing to speak publicly, said the government was putting Bell forward in confidential talks as a leading option.<\/p>\n The disagreement over Bell is already proving difficult for Albanese; even as he prepares to yield to a well-organised and wide-ranging campaign to call a royal commission, he will face ongoing tests from the Jewish community and other critics to ensure the scope and operation of the probe satisfies the Bondi victims\u2019 families<\/a> and their community leaders.<\/p>\n Jewish leaders have privately acknowledged they risk blowback from the wider community if they appear to be making political attacks against the royal commission after the prime minister yields.<\/p>\n After publication of this story, former Coalition treasurer Josh Frydenberg, a top advocate for a royal commission, said he opposed Bell\u2019s appointment, without specifying reasons.<\/p>\n \u201cThe prime minister has been told directly by leaders of the Jewish community that they have serious concerns about this appointment,\u201d he posted on X.<\/p>\n \u201cPrime minister, I appeal to you, 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Related Article Other names being discussed as potential royal commissioners include former ASIO boss Dennis Richardson, already selected to run the rapid review of intelligence failures, and Federal Court judge Michael Lee, well known for presiding over the defamation case brought against Channel 10<\/a> by Bruce Lehrmann.<\/p>\n Bell, appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2012, has had a long and respected career in the law. The 74-year-old started her career at the Redfern Legal Centre in the 1970s, became a public defender and was appointed as a judge on the NSW Supreme Court and Court of Appeal in March 1999.<\/p>\n In 2009, she became the fourth woman to serve on the bench of the High Court when she was appointed by the Rudd government. She retired after 12 years.<\/p>\n She has also had experience working in a royal commission, acting as one of the counsel assisting the Wood Royal Commission into NSW police corruption between 1994 and 1997.<\/p>\n In August 2022, Labor appointed Bell to lead an inquiry into former prime minister Scott Morrison\u2019s scandalous self-appointment<\/a> to several ministries.<\/p>\n Critics of Bell in the Jewish community view her as too close to Labor, and although they agree she is a distinguished figure, they question her stance on the complex topics the commission must explore. Bell declined to comment when asked about this argument against her appointment.<\/p>\n In the early 1990s, Bell had a brief stint as host of the ABC program Late Night Live.<\/p>\n In a profile published by this masthead at the time of her High Court appointment, Professor George Williams argued she was \u201cone of the most experienced and well-regarded criminal lawyers\u201d and said her interest in social justice was appropriate given she was replacing Justice Michael Kirby, who was known for his interest in human rights.<\/p>\n A University of Wollongong profile of Bell said she represented the dozens of people arrested at the first Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras in 1978 and prepared a video for the following year\u2019s march advising people how to avoid arrest.<\/p>\n The then-president of the Australian Law Reform Commission, David Weisbrot, said at the time of her High Court appointment that he believed Bell would be a \u201cvery progressive\u201d justice.<\/p>\n This masthead reported on Thursday that Labor might fold the proposed Richardson review into intelligence failings into the royal commission, and that it might merge with the NSW royal commission.<\/p>\n The prime minister\u2019s office was contacted for comment.<\/p>\n Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. <\/b>Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter<\/a>.<\/b><\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n![\"Former](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/b41f4e4f87760df7d024fbc9be5abe396e2a326a.jpeg\")
Former High Court justice Virginia Bell.Gillianne Tedder<\/p>\n![\"Opposition](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/f61ea45f1f68ee2ef3e9ff3f205c7b8dec6d660c.jpeg\")
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Paul Sakkal<\/a> is chief political correspondent. He previously covered Victorian politics and has won Walkley and Quill awards. Reach him securely on Signal @paulsakkal.14Connect via Twitter<\/a> or email<\/a>.Most Viewed in PoliticsFrom our partners