Senior Coalition politicians have launched an extraordinary political attack, drawing unsubstantiated links between the government's foreign policy decisions and the recent Bondi terror attack, while criticising Foreign Minister Penny Wong's public response.
Political Fury Over Royal Commission Demands
At a heated press conference on Monday, Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and other Coalition figures escalated calls for a federal royal commission into the attack that claimed 15 Jewish lives. Ley directed visible anger at Foreign Minister Penny Wong, stating she had not seen Wong "shed a single tear" publicly or visit the attack site in Bondi.
"I haven't seen Penny Wong on the streets of Bondi. I haven't seen Penny Wong at the vigil for 15 innocent murdered Australians," Ley declared, raising her voice. She also criticised Wong's absence from a Hanukkah event and the victims' funerals.
Controversial Links Drawn Without Evidence
The press conference took a more contentious turn when Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie and others directly implicated government policy in the attack. McKenzie claimed a series of decisions by the Albanese government had "brought this upon us," specifically citing Wong's travel itinerary in Israel and, notably, the August recognition of a Palestinian state.
"All of this, recognition of Palestine, all of these decisions of your government have brought this upon us," McKenzie asserted, despite a complete absence of evidence connecting the policy shift to the actions of the attackers, Sajid and Naveen Akram. The IS-inspired attackers were a fruit shop owner and a bricklayer.
McKenzie, a former convenor of the Parliamentary Friends of Palestine group, also argued the core issue was "Islamic extremism" in the suburbs, claiming the pursuit of a "multicultural nirvana" had failed.
Government Response and Broader Criticism
Shadow Education Minister Julian Leeser, who is Jewish, accused the government of offering only "crumbs" to the Jewish community and being slow to act on banning doxxing and Nazi symbols. Government sources countered that the Coalition had voted against Labor's anti-doxxing bill in November 2024.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong, speaking to the ABC, strongly condemned antisemitism and the attack, reiterating her call "to turn the temperature down" in national discourse. Her trip to Israel included meetings with officials and hostages' families.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has rejected a federal royal commission, instead ordering a review of intelligence agencies. This has been labelled inadequate by the Coalition, who demand a broader inquiry into antisemitism, university conduct, and visa policies. Some government MPs, including Mike Freelander and Ed Husic, have broken ranks to support a federal inquiry.
The New South Wales government is proceeding with its own state-based royal commission, with Premier Chris Minns expecting federal cooperation. Treasurer Jim Chalmers defended the federal approach, stating agencies should be "100% focused" on the investigation rather than a lengthy commission process.
