The key questions Virginia Bell wants ASIO, police and the government to answer

April 30, 2026 — 6:00pm

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Substantial chunks of royal commissioner Virginia Bell’s interim report on the Bondi Beach massacre – including five of her 14 sensible but modest recommendations for change – remain hidden behind a veil of redactions. And, as Bell warned when she launched the inquiry in February, key questions remain unanswered because of the tight deadline she was given to deliver her preliminary findings.

Yet for all these gaps, the former High Court judge’s interim report offers important clues about the topics she plans to probe when she begins public hearings next week and continues reading the thousands of submissions the inquiry has received.

While her writing style is not prone to flourishes, Bell has put state and federal police, domestic spy agency ASIO and the Albanese government on notice that they can expect to be grilled on one pivotal point in the months ahead. While authorities at various levels acknowledged the rising danger faced by Jewish Australians after the October 7 attacks and war in Gaza, what exactly did they do about it? Was the rhetoric of those........

© Brisbane Times