Royal Commissioner Virginia Bell yesterday held a private meeting with victims, survivors and their families from the Bondi massacre. Source: Sydney Morning Herald.
In an intimate meeting at the site of the nation’s worst terror attack, Commissioner Bell assured survivors of the attack that the royal commission she leads will probe how long it took police to respond to the shooting and the level of security protection at the Hanukkah celebration.
The former High Court judge toured the scene of the attack yesterday morning and held a two-hour meeting with around 80 survivors, witnesses and relatives of those who died on December 14.
Her meeting came as the Albanese Government announced it would introduce new laws next week to strengthen legal protections for those providing intelligence and operational information to the royal commission and strengthen its ability to handle sensitive material.
Commissioner Bell said this week there had been delays in receiving information from relevant agencies as they sought legal advice on how to interact with the royal commission.
Commissioner Bell used the private, invitation-only meeting at Bondi to directly explain why she would not be able to accept any evidence about the day’s tragedy that could prejudice a criminal trial into the killings of 15 people, as she revealed at the royal commission’s first public hearings on Tuesday.
One participant, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the meeting was “very productive” and had largely reassured those present that Commissioner Bell was determined to do everything within her power to understand why the atrocity had occurred.
As well as any intelligence failures that preceded the attack, Commissioner Bell told those at the meeting that the royal commission would examine why there were only two police officers present at the Chanukah by the Sea event and how long it took other police to arrive at the scene after the gunmen began shooting.
NSW Premier Chris Minns defended the police response to the massacre immediately after the attack. “If there’s any suggestion that NSW Police didn’t live up to their responsibilities to the people of this state, it should be rejected because it’s not consistent with the facts,” he said.
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Commissioner assures Bondi families she will probe Hanukkah security, police delays (By Matthew Knott, Sydney Morning Herald)
