Shooters acted alone, not part of terror cell, AFP says

“Radicalisation and extremism can provide a pipeline of recruits to terror groups who are willing to use violence to advance their cause. The AFP will be visible and vocal on those we charge and importantly, the work of the national security investigations teams to disrupt early and to deter and prevent violence. We won’t put a time limit on our vigilance. We will be here every day to help keep Australians safe.”

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Speaking alongside Barrett, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his government was determined to enforce Australian values of “common humanity”.

“When people enter into Australia and go through the customs hall they leave any prejudices and any hatreds in that hall, and they celebrate Australia … that’s what I want to see,” he said.

However, questions from the media quickly returned to the government’s decision to not call a federal royal commission into antisemitism following demands from the families of Bondi victims for one to be established.

In a passionate defence of his record on antisemitism, Albanese said: “Our position is not out of convenience, it is out of conviction that this is the right direction to go in.”

“The actual experts, who are the current experts, have all recommended this course of action, and we are following the advice that we received from authorities who are in 2025 dealing with this atrocity,” he said.

Asked if the advice to not hold a royal commission came from the security agencies, Albanese said only that they received advice from security agencies as part of their considerations.

Albanese and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke yesterday said that a federal royal commission would become a platform for antisemitic hate speech, and would undermine national unity.

Barrett declined to answer when asked if a royal commission would compromise national safety and said she could not provide further detail on the investigation into the attack while Naveed Akram faces multiple murder charges in NSW court.

Burke, who was also at the press conference, said a review into law enforcement and intelligence agencies by former diplomat Dennis Richardson would look at how agencies are notified of the travel arrangements of individuals of concern.

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“There are some countries where there is almost no valid tourism industry there at all, and it raises a very high level of alarm … there are other countries where an alert might come up, but it wouldn’t necessarily raise the eye that then has to get measured against the risk profile that’s being done on individuals,” he said.

Barrett thanked the Philippine police, saying: “much of the CCTV footage that is now under review by our investigators would not have been available.”