Anthony Albanese has backed a royal commission into last weekend’s terror attack at Bondi beach, after the NSW premier called for a full “comprehensive look” at the deadly shooting.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday the premier, Chris Minns said the state needed a royal commission to investigate the mass shooting that killed 15 people.
“Until we’ve got a full and accurate picture of exactly how this happened, with a plan to ensure that it doesn’t happen again, then I don’t have answers [for] the people of New South Wales about what happened on Sunday,” Minns said.
“This is the most serious event that’s affected New South Wales for decades. If we’re not going to have a royal commission into this, when would you use the powers of that extraordinary provision in our act?”
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Anthony Albanese, who met with members of the national security committee on Saturday, said he would “support whatever action the NSW government takes”.
“We are working in lockstep,” he told reporters.
Albanese and Minns did not provide details about the timing of a potential royal commission. Minns said he was confident the government could appoint a senior judicial officer to navigate the complexities of an inquiry running parallel to the criminal investigation.
“As soon as we can get a comprehensive understanding, an independent investigation into what happened, we can begin the process of bringing in change to ensure that we do everything possible so that it doesn’t happen again,” he said.
The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, has also backed a royal commission in a statement to the media, calling on Albanese to recall parliament on Monday to immediately legislate a response.
“Millions of Australians, particularly those of Jewish faith, want, need and deserve a commonwealth royal commission into the Bondi massacre terrorist attack,” Ley said.
She invited Albanese to “sit down with me and Jewish community leaders as soon as Shabbat ends tonight, so that we can draft the terms of reference on a bipartisan basis”.
Albanese said he would attend a memorial service at Bondi beach on Sunday, which he has labelled a national day of reflection to honour the 15 victims a week on from the attack.
Flags will be flown at half mast, and Albanese has asked Australians to light a candle and put it in their front window and to observe a minute’s silence at 6.47pm.
Albanese on Saturday also commended US airstrikes on Islamic State targets in Syria, saying Sunday’s attack was inspired by the “evil ideology”.
The Australian federal police (AFP) commissioner, Krissy Barrett, told reporters the surviving accused Bondi beach shooter, 24-year-old Naveed Akram, remained in custody in a NSW hospital on Saturday afternoon. He has been charged with 59 offences.
Barrett said police would leave “no stone unturned”, with the NSW Joint Counter Terrorism Team continuing its investigation and collecting evidence from search warrants conducted on Friday.
She said the federal government’s announcement this week to lower the threshold for hate speech would give the AFP “greater scope to deter and charge individuals who are injecting and directing poisonous language towards the Jewish community”.
The NSW Labor government on Saturday announced it would outlaw the display of terrorist symbols, such as Islamic State and Hamas flags, and clamp down on hate speech, including banning the phrase “globalise the intifada”.
The proposed crackdown on hate speech and hate symbols will be considered when NSW parliament sits on Monday.
Under the legislation, police would be granted greater powers to ask someone suspected of committing an offence to remove their face coverings during demonstrations.
Minns said the government would examine additional measures to further clamp down on hateful slogans, which he said would make a “major difference” for the state.
“I will insist that ‘globalise the intifada’ is included in that list of hateful, violent rhetoric in New South Wales,” he said.
“The chant will be banned alongside other hateful comments and statements made in our community.”
Minns said the government had already received advice that the phrase “globalise the intifada” was in breach of existing hate speech laws in the state.
“This legislation will put it beyond a shadow of a doubt, so you’re running a very risky racket if you’re thinking of using that phrase before the bill goes through,” he said.
NSW state parliament will also consider tougher gun and protest laws.
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