Prime Minister Anthony Albanese discusses turnaround decision to call antisemitism royal commission

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Yesterday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion following the Bondi terror attack. It follows weeks of sustained pressure to initiate the inquiry.

Transcript

00:00What we did, Olivia, was to make sure that we prioritised the immediate needs that were

00:08required.

00:09After a terrorist event, the first thing to do was to bring the National Security Committee

00:14together.

00:15We've met something like 20 times over 25 days, and to make sure that we've properly

00:21examined were these people, the perpetrators, part of a cell here in Australia.

00:27Could there be a follow-up event the next day?

00:30How did we make sure that security measures were put in place?

00:34So we did that.

00:35New South Wales, of course, announced that they would have a Royal Commission.

00:39We said we'd fully cooperate with that.

00:41That effectively would have been engaged a Commonwealth Royal Commission as well.

00:48But what we did was listen to people.

00:52It's clearly we've done this in an orderly way.

00:55That's the way that my government functions.

00:58Orderly, considered, getting it right.

01:01Not doing half announcements, but making sure that yesterday, after considerable consultation...

01:06Sorry to cut you off, Prime Minister.

01:08I just wanted to say, I mean, you've faced enormous political pressure over the past couple

01:13of weeks.

01:14Sporting, medical, legal and security figures.

01:16You've had MPs such as Josh Burns privately lobbying you.

01:20I understand your position began to shift last Friday.

01:23What I'm really trying to get to here is what was the tipping point for you to see this

01:28shift and announce?

01:29Because with all due respect, on December 30, as recently as then you said, our position

01:35is not out of convenience.

01:37It is out of conviction on this issue.

01:38And certainly at that point, a Commonwealth Commission or Royal Commission, I should say,

01:42wasn't on the table.

01:43Well, there were a few things that had to happen.

01:47One is we had to get the agreement of New South Wales to not have two Royal Commissions.

01:51That's something when I was first asked about a Royal Commission, you will note that I would

01:57have said because that would have been confusing and counterproductive.

02:03So Premier Minns announced after discussions that we've had previously, of course, last

02:09night he confirmed that New South Wales wouldn't proceed.

02:13We also had to make sure that it didn't interfere with any of the legal case that was going forward

02:20against the perpetrator who, the alleged perpetrator who was not killed at that time.

02:26We need to make sure that it didn't undermine social cohesion, but helped to build social

02:32cohesion.

02:33We need to make sure that we got the terms of reference right.

02:37I sat down with families, I listened to them.

02:40It's very clear to me that what they required, and we required for national unity, that has

02:46been absolutely my priority here, is a federal Commonwealth Royal Commission that would examine anti-Semitism,

02:56as well how we build social cohesion.

02:59Make sure that we did it in a way with the right Commissioner in Virginia Bell, former High

03:04Court Justice, former leader in the New South Wales Supreme Court, a well-respected before

03:12that criminal lawyer who could navigate the issues whilst making sure as well that we roll

03:19in...

03:20Sorry Prime Minister, the cut off.

03:21...the Richardson Review that has already begun.

03:22I understand what you're saying, but there's certainly been a turnaround here from you.

03:28Why the shift?

03:30I have listened to people, we've considered everyone's position, is it possible to build

03:40unity in this way?

03:41I think it very much is.

03:43I'm very pleased that it's been welcomed across the political spectrum.

03:48At no stage have I engaged in political rhetoric during this period.

03:54What I have done is engaged and sit down with families, I've listened to them, I've sat down

03:59in people's homes, I've had people to Kirribilli House, we've had people to Admiralty House even

04:04on New Year's Eve.

04:06We sat down and discussed with families, with rabbis, I've sat down in synagogues, in homes,

04:15in offices, in my Sydney residence.

04:18We've had a number of meetings with leaders of the Jewish community as well, as well we've

04:25engaged with others as well about social cohesion and how we build it going forward.

04:32And I've determined that this is the right way forward.

04:35We have proper cabinet processes and this has all been through our cabinet as well.

04:42This is a record time in fact for a Royal Commission to be called.

04:47It normally will take a very long period of time and I'm sure that one of the reasons

04:52why there wasn't a Royal Commission after Lint or after the barley bombing or after Tasmania

04:59is because of that as well.

05:01I just wanted to quickly ask you, national security has really been brought into focus

05:05given the fact that we've seen this massacre at Bondi no less.

05:11Was it a mistake to remove ASIO and the Australian Federal Police from home affairs and exclude

05:17intelligence chiefs from the National Security Committee meetings for nearly two years in

05:21your first term of government?

05:23Well, the premise of the question is wrong.

05:26How is it, Prime Minister?

05:30The premise is completely wrong.

05:32We have completely engaged with all of the national security…

05:36Mike Burgess, the ASIO Director General…

05:38Mike Burgess was appointed…

05:41Mike Burgess was appointed to…

05:43No, that's…

05:44Mike Burgess was at every single meeting…

05:45Mike Burgess was at every single meeting…

05:46He didn't attend National Security Committee meetings…

05:47Mike Burgess was at every single meeting…

05:48…for two years in the first term of the government.

05:50Well, I'm sorry…

05:51I'm sorry, Olivia.

05:52I'm sorry, Olivia, but you weren't at the NSC meetings.

05:55I was.

05:56What Mike Burgess didn't do was sit through all of the meetings when we were doing the

06:01AUCUS arrangements.

06:02But any time that there was anything to do with intelligence or anything else, Mike Burgess

06:09is always in the room, every single occasion.

06:12This is a guy, I don't think he's taken any leave because I've never been in a meeting

06:17discussing any national security issues where he has not been there.

06:22Including the first term of your government?

06:25Correct.

06:27Prime Minister, thank you for your time.

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