Pressure Grows on Albanese as Thousands Demand Royal Commission Into Bondi Attack

SYDNEY — Thousands of people have signed an online petition urging the Australian government to establish a Royal Commission into the Bondi Beach terror attack, adding pressure on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who has so far rejected calls for a full federal inquiry.

According to Sky News Australia, the petition gathered thousands of signatures within hours of going live on Change.org, as opposition lawmakers and members of the Jewish community intensified demands for an independent national investigation.

The Albanese government has instead announced a departmental review into the performance of federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies, to be led by former senior public servant and intelligence chief Dennis Richardson. Critics say the review does not go far enough.

Petition organizer Marnie Perlstein told Australian media that the scale and impact of the attack warranted the highest level of scrutiny available under Australian law. She said the deaths of 15 people at a Hanukkah celebration represented a failure that demanded full transparency and accountability.

Opposition leaders have backed the call for a Royal Commission and have drafted proposed terms of reference, urging the government to establish the inquiry immediately.

Perlstein said the government’s planned review leaves out key areas, including education and immigration policy, that she believes should be examined to understand how antisemitism escalated to violence.

By Monday night, more than 16,000 people had signed the petition, with many citing personal experiences of trauma connected to the attack. Some signatories described narrowly escaping gunfire or shielding children during the assault.

The Bondi Beach attack, the deadliest antisemitic terror incident in Australia’s history, has sparked a broader national debate over security failures, antisemitism, and government accountability, as calls for a Royal Commission continue to grow.