NSW Nationals leader Gurmesh Singh joins calls for royal commission, as pressure mounts on Anthony Albanese to establish federal probe

NSW Nationals leader Gurmesh Singh has joined calls from parliamentarians and peak Jewish groups for Anthony Albanese to establish a federal probe into anti-Semitism. The Prime Minister has offered a range of reasons to justify his resistance for a national inquiry following the Bondi terror attack, including the concurrent state probe – which the federal government will contribute to – as well as the lengthy nature of those types of investigations. Speaking to Sky News, Mr Singh claimed Mr Albanese’s delay in establishing a federal probe could be catastrophic for his leadership. “Just about every different quarter of society is calling for (a federal royal commission), including many Labor former ministers as well,” Mr Singh said. “I don’t know why Anthony Albanese is dragging his feet. Ultimately, I think this could be his political downfall.” He also criticised both state and federal Labor for targeting gun ownership amid the response to the attack. “This wasn’t just because (the alleged terrorists) had firearms. We’ve got millions of law abiding firearms owners across the country,” he said. “Obviously, this has got to do with extremism, and it’s got to do with terrorism.” The NSW Nationals split from the state Liberals over new gun laws passed by state parliament on Wednesday. It made NSW home to the toughest gun laws in the country and imposed cap of no more than 4 firearms per individual, with exemptions for primary producers who can have up to 10. Ley urges federal probe The Coalition has repeatedly pushed for Mr Albanese to establish a federal royal commission, with Sussan Ley claiming the move would be an act of “moral courage” during a press conference on Saturday. “You have seen calls for a Commonwealth Royal Commission come from a multitude of people across the political spectrum, including current, sitting Labor Party members and previous Labor Party members and eminent Australians who’ve made it very clear this is not political,” the Opposition Leader told reporters in Albury. “But my appeal to the Prime Minister is this, if you won’t listen to all of us, why will you not listen to the victims themselves?” she said. Ms Ley claimed a Commonwealth royal commission would be the medium for the nation to confront “uncomfortable truths” and recognise “the scourge” of anti-Semitism, saying it needed to happen “urgently”. “There should be no delay. The time for words is past and the time for action is now. The time now is for moral courage, not moral confusion.” Earlier, the Coalition released a draft terms of reference for a federal probe in an effort to pressure the Albanese government to establish a national inquiry into the incident. ‘Deeply, deeply sorry’: Thistlethwaite Assistant Immigration Minister Matt Thistlethwaite has apologised profusely for the Bondi attacks, telling reporters in Sydney that “every single member” of the Labor government has felt the weight of the tragedy. “Every single member of our government is deeply, deeply sorry for the atrocities that were committed against Australia’s Jewish community at Bondi a few weeks ago,” he said on Saturday. “It is a terrible, terrible tragedy, and I, and every single member of the Albanese Government, expresses its sorrow, but we also express our sympathy and our support for Australia’s Jewish community.” Pressed on the Jewish community’s calls for a federal probe into anti-Semitism, Mr Thistlethwaite reiterated the need for “urgent” action in the wake of the tragedy. “I certainly respect the views and wishes of the victims and their families, and the leadership of Australia’s Jewish community,” he said. “I’ve had several meetings with victims’ families and with the leaders of the Australian Jewish community. “Royal Commissions take years, they take even longer to implement the recommendations. “We owe it to Australia’s Jewish community to act now, to keep them safe and to put in place measures to ensure that they are free to practise their religion and their faith in Australia in safety. And that is exactly what our government is doing.” Wong apologises to Australian Jews The calls echo Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s recent apology to Australia’s Jewish community. Senator Wong made the comments just under two weeks after a pair of alleged terrorists opened fire at the Chanukah festival on December 14. “I’m desperately sorry for what has occurred in our country and what the Jewish community have experienced,” she told the Advertiser on Friday. “You always regret what more could have been done … We acted, but we have to do more – and we are. “I think the two aspects of reform that we’re engaging in now are really important, both in terms of gun control, but also we acted on hate speech, but we clearly need to go further.” Asked about NSW’s crackdown on “globalise the intifada” chants, and whether the phrase – alongside “from the river to sea”- fuelled anti-Semitic rhetoric, Senator Wong said: “Yes, I think they do. “I agree with (anti-Semitism envoy) Jillian Segal that these are slogans which have been used to whip up anger and hatred of the Jewish people. “I was asked about ‘river to the sea’ and I said, look, it’s not consistent with two states. It’s not consistent with the existence of both an Israeli state, the state of Israel, and the state of Palestine. “Globalise the intifada, I think it’s clearly been used, as Jillian says, to whip up hatred.” ‘Like a cancer’: Rabbis’ Bondi plea Australian rabbis have urged Anthony Albanese to establish a national probe into the Bondi massacre, saying the Jewish community feels Labor’s response has been “insufficient”. In a letter dated December 25 and first published by the Australian, the Rabbinical Association of Australasia said a federal royal commission was needed to comprehensively examine the rise of anti-Semitism in the country. “anti-Semitism today does not recognise state borders. It spreads like a cancer through national and global networks — online platforms, funding streams, radical Islamist and other extremist ideologies, and radicalisation pathways — many of which fall substantially within Commonwealth responsibility,” the statement read. The Prime Minister has continued to resist calls for a federal probe into the incident, despite two Labor MPs breaking ranks to call for one, after two alleged ISIS-inspired gunmen opened fire on a Chanukah celebration on December 14. Instead, Mr Albanese has called for a review into federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies – led by former intelligence chief Dennis Richardson – to examine whether they have adequate powers, structures, processes and sharing arrangements to “keep Australia safe”. It comes as NSW conducts a state royal commission into the attack, which the federal government will actively contribute to, senior Labor MPs have confirmed. However, the letter claimed the departmental probe would not go far enough to prosecute what led to the Bondi tragedy. “We acknowledge the Government’s announcement of internal reviews and departmental processes. These may have value,” the statement read. “However, from the perspective of our communities, they do not provide the independence, transparency, or public confidence that this moment requires. “A Federal Royal Commission offers a process that is independent, transparent, and capable of confronting difficult truths authoritatively. “Trust has been badly shaken. Restoring it requires openness. “This call is not an endorsement of any political party or political agenda. It is a moral and ethical imperative.” The group attributed the rise in anti-Semitism to pro-Palestinian demonstrations, describing them as “hate-fuelled”. “Over the past two years, and with devastating clarity in recent weeks, we have witnessed a profound and dangerous escalation of anti-Semitism masquerading as anti-Zionism in Australia,” the statement read. It claimed marches “particularly at iconic landmarks” had core objectives to push for the elimination of Israel and incite violence against Jews, through slogans like “from the river to the sea (Palestine will be free)” and “globalise the intifada”. “These marches and demonstrations have been permitted to proceed largely unhindered, while Jews have been directed by police to stay away ‘for your own protection’,” the statement read. It called for the banning of “such marches and demonstrations” and the criminalisation of the two chants, as well as “death to the (Israeli Defence Force)”. “The massacre at Bondi Beach did not emerge in a vacuum. It was the most tragic and violent manifestation of a climate in which visceral hatred towards Jews — such as that described above — has been allowed to grow louder, more normalised, and more tolerated,” the statement read. Many of these demonstrations, including the March for Humanity on the Harbour Bridge, have occurred in protest of the Israeli campaign in Gaza, which has been labelled a genocide by human rights organisations based in Israel and abroad, the International Association of Genocide Scholars and an independent UN inquiry.