‘They need to be held responsible’: Daughter of slain Bondi hero demands royal commission

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The daughter of a man who was killed throwing bricks at one of the Bondi gunmen is demanding a federal antisemitism royal commission capable of investigating whether the Albanese government’s recognition of Palestinian statehood, among other policies, threatened the safety of Jewish Australians.

Sheina Gutnick, the daughter of Bondi hero Reuven Morrison, joined 16 other families of the victims on Monday in signing an open letter calling on the government to establish the royal commission, as Labor faces increased pressure from the Coalition and a former party MP.

Sheina Gutnick, daughter of Reuven Morrison, at Bondi on Monday.

In an interview with this masthead, Gutnick laid blame for the terrorist attack “absolutely” at the feet of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the federal government, saying their policies had maintained “constant demonisation of Israel”.

“Recognising … Palestine as an official state has been a massive gasoline to the fire whilst Hamas is in power. And I think the biggest proof is a thank-you letter from Hamas to the Albanese government for the recognition of the state,” Gutnick said.

“We can have whatever views that we need to have as individuals on the current conflict of the Middle East,” she said. “But if the current government policies are adding fuel to the fire, they need to be held responsible.”

Australia formally recognised Palestinian statehood at the United Nations General Assembly on September 21, drawing trenchant criticism from Israel for joining French President Emmanuel Macron’s push for global recognition. In August, Hamas officials welcomed Australia’s plans to join the global push, but said it did not go far enough.

In responding to the Bondi attack, Albanese has argued a federal royal commission would be too slow, with similar commissions taking years to hand down findings.

The government has, after a six-month delay, adopted several of the recommendations made by antisemitism envoy Jillian Segal, announced new hate speech laws to be introduced early next year, a review of law enforcement and intelligence agencies, and reforms to gun laws including a national buyback program.

A state-based royal commission has been established by NSW Premier Chris Minns, which will be able to work with federal agencies. But demands continue to ramp up from the Jewish community, legal experts and the federal opposition for a Commonwealth royal commission capable of compelling the federal government and its agencies to testify.

Gutnick lambasted the government’s perceived reliance on the NSW commission, saying “this is not a state issue. It happened to occur on Sydney soil, but this can occur anywhere.

“If [antisemitism is] not put a stop to, other states will be in the same situation,” Gutnick said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra last week.

Asked which government policies had “added fuel to the fire” of antisemitism, Gutnick said recognising “Palestine as an official state has been a massive gasoline [fuel] to the fire while Hamas is in power. And I think the biggest proof is a thank-you letter from Hamas to the Albanese government for the recognition of the state tells you all it needs to say, yeah.”

A week after her father’s funeral, a neighbour of Gutnick in Melbourne, whose car bore the words “Happy Chanukah” was set alight. Gutnick also alluded to the arrest of a West Australian man over alleged antisemitic social media posts as further need for the royal commission’s establishment.

“There we are in Sydney, and a couple days later I’m back in my home in Melbourne, and around the corner there’s a firebombing,” Gutnick said. “We have to live in constant fear when we are out in public with our children being wary of where the exits are in the case something like this could occur … and now the rest of the world can see the repercussions of that.”

Gutnick was among 17 families who signed an open letter on Monday urging Albanese to establish the commission, saying Jewish Australians were owed accountability.

“We demand answers and solutions,” the letter said. “We need to know why clear warning signs were ignored, how antisemitic hatred and Islamic extremism were allowed to dangerously grow unchecked, and what changes must be made to protect all Australians going forward.”

Former Labor MP Mike Kelly on Monday joined the voices calling for a federal royal commission, telling Radio National they were “a time-honoured measure for when you need to do that deeper dive, contextual and systemic analysis”.

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley told journalists in Albury on Saturday that the Jewish community was hearing “excuses” not action, from Albanese. The Liberal leader said the Coalition was willing to negotiate their proposed terms of reference for a royal commission in a bid for bipartisanship.

“With antisemitic incidents continuing, a firebombing in Melbourne, an alleged arrest for antisemitic hate online postings in Perth. The hatred that this Jewish community has seen over the past two years has escalated since October the 7th [and] demands action,” Ley said.

“Instead of moral courage from the prime minister, all we hear is moral confusion. The time to act is now.”

Nationals leader David Littleproud told Nine’s Today on Monday morning that Albanese was “tone-deaf to a grieving nation”, accusing him of being “contemptuous” of the families of victims of the attack.

“Unless you have a Commonwealth royal commission, you’re not compelling the federal agencies to work with state agencies and to give all the evidence. And this is the frightening thing that the prime minister won’t face up to, that there were 15 Australians slaughtered on Bondi Beach,” Littleproud said.