Virginia Bell flagged to lead probe, faces criticism from Jewish leaders

A former High Court justice previous tapped by Labor to probe Scott Morrison’s multiple ministries is in the frame to lead the widely expected federal royal commission into the Bondi killings.

The potential appointment of Virginia Bell has been flagged by senior Labor figures in recent days and has already prompted pushback from some Jewish leaders in NSW, Bell’s home state, over their belief she might be too left-leaning, a claim the government and Bell’s backers in the legal fraternity will challenge.

The private worry expressed by Jewish leaders has complicated the choice for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese as he and his ministers work out details of a national probe he has resisted for weeks.

Bell declined to comment when contacted by this masthead about the prospect of her appointment on Wednesday evening.

Several sources familiar with tightly held considerations inside the government, none of whom were willing to speak publicly, said the government was putting Bell forward in confidential talks as a leading option.

The disagreement over Bell is already proving difficult or Albanese: even as he prepares to yield to a well-organised and wide-ranging campaign to call a royal commission, he will face ongoing tests from the Jewish community and other critics to ensure the scope and operation of the probe satisfies the Bondi victims’ families and their community leaders.

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Jewish leaders have privately acknowledged they risk blowback from the wider community if they appear to be making political attacks against the royal commission after the prime minister yields.

Bell, appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2012, has had a long and respected career in the law. The 74-year-old started her career at the Redfern Legal Centre in the 1970s, became a public defender and was appointed as a judge on the NSW Supreme Court and Court of Appeal in March,1999.