Good afternoon. I'm joined today by the Attorney General, the Minister for Home Affairs and the Special Envoy on Antisemitism. Just 25 days ago, two gunmen armed with high powered weapons went to Bondi Beach on the first night of Chanukah and they murdered 15 innocent people. They wounded dozens more - men, women and children. This was an antisemitic terrorist attack aimed at Jewish Australians inspired by ISIS, the deadliest that has ever occurred on Australian soil. It was met by the courage and quick action of police, first responders, and the extraordinary bravery of everyday Australians who saved lives. I spent time last night at St. Vincent's Hospital with Gefen Bitton, who today has been medevacked to Israel. Gefen has been suffering from severe injuries and I spoke, was able to speak with not just him, but with his brother, his father and with his friends and colleagues. And Rabbi Mendel sent me a photo a short time ago depicting the successful flight of him. And we wish him all the very best for a safe journey. Each and every day since that terrible Sunday night, our government has been focused on supporting people grieving their loved ones. Standing with the Australian Jewish community in this time of devastating pain and working around the clock with security agencies, police, state and territory governments and the Jewish community to take immediate action.
We have taken new action in response to recommendations from our Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, Jillian Segal. We brought together National Cabinet to fast track tougher gun laws. We delivered new resources to our law enforcement agencies to help prevent further attacks. And we established the Richardson Review to quickly identify any potential gaps in the work of national security agencies and in their cooperation with state and territory bodies. And when Parliament returns, we'll introduce new laws to criminalise hate speech and hate preachers. We are hoping to conclude discussions on those laws in coming days.
While we've been focused on these immediate actions, we've also been listening to the calls for a Commonwealth Royal Commission. One of the reasons our nation is one of the oldest and strongest modern democracies in the world is because every Australian has the right to express their view. And as Prime Minister, I respect people's views and I listen to them. I take the time to choose the right path, the course of action that will make a positive difference to our country. I've said my focus is on urgent action rather than immediately calling a Commonwealth Royal Commission, given our commitment to cooperate and participate fully in a New South Wales Royal Commission, which would have been a de facto Commonwealth Royal Commission by definition as well. I've taken the time to reflect, to meet with leaders in the Jewish community, and most importantly, I've met with many of the families of victims and survivors of that horrific attack in homes, in synagogues, at the Governor-General's, in community events. The people who were there at Bondi Beach on 14 December to celebrate the first night of Chanukah in the embrace of family and faith should have been safe while they were doing that. Instead, they've had their lives and worlds shattered. People living a nightmare of grief. I've sat down with these Australians, together with leaders in the Jewish community and I've shed tears with them. I want to thank people for those honest and open hearted conversations. I've said repeatedly that our Government's priority is to promote unity and social cohesion. And this is what Australia needs - to heal, to learn, to come together in a spirit of national unity and to go forward knowing that just like people who gathered that night on Bondi Beach were committing to, that light will prevail over darkness.
It's clear to me that a Royal Commission is essential to achieving this. And I've spoken with Premier Minns and I would expect that a single Royal Commission will be had, but Premier Minns will have more to say on the New South Wales position. Today I announced that I will be recommending to the Governor-General in an Executive Council meeting that will be held tomorrow that a Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion be established. This was endorsed by a meeting of the Federal Cabinet today. I have asked that former High Court justice the Honourable Virginia Bell AC, to serve as the Commissioner. As agreed with Commissioner Bell, Dennis Richardson's work will become part of the Commission and he will support its work with delivery of an interim report by the Commission in April. This Royal Commission will cover four key areas as set out in the terms of reference that I am releasing today. One, tackling antisemitism by investigating the nature and prevalence of antisemitism, examining its key drivers in Australia, including religious and ideologically motivated extremism and radicalisation. Two, making any recommendations to assist law enforcement, border control, immigration and security agencies to tackle antisemitism, including through improvements to guidance and training within law enforcement, border control, immigration and security agencies to respond to antisemitic conduct. Three, examine the circumstances surrounding the Bondi terrorist attack on 14 December 2025 and the work of Dennis Richardson will be central to this. And four, make any other recommendations arising out of the inquiry for strengthening social cohesion in Australia and countering the spread of ideological and religiously motivated extremism in Australia.
Further to the terms of reference, we have resolved a number of practical issues. This won't be a drawn out process. Our government will ask Commissioner Bell to report before the 14th of December 2026. Importantly, we'll be asking Commissioner Bell to ensure this inquiry does not prejudice any future criminal proceeding. This is vital. And we're confident that Commissioner Bell has the deep experience and expertise to conduct her inquiry in such a way that meaningfully examines the impact of antisemitism on the daily life of Jewish Australians and works to promote social cohesion and to do this without providing a platform for others to push antisemitic hatred. This Royal Commission is the right format, the right duration and the right terms of reference to deliver the right outcome for our national unity and our national security.
Of course, a Royal Commission is not the beginning or the end of what Australia must do to eradicate antisemitism or protect ourselves from terrorism or strengthen our social cohesion. That's an ongoing national effort for all of us as individuals, but also institutions, because an attack on Jewish Australians is an attack on all Australians. The attack on December 14 targeted Jewish Australians, but also targeted the Australian way of life. One form of hatred, of course, can easily lead to another. And this is why our government will continue to support the work of our Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism, Jillian Segal. And Jillian will play an important role in giving advice to the Royal Commission as it proceeds with its important work. We'll drive the immediate change required in education and institutions, including through David Gonski's Antisemitism Education Task Force, working with the Special Envoy. And we'll continue to work with states and territories to implement Australia's counterterrorism and violent extremism strategy. We're taking new action against hate speech and hate preachers. We're delivering tougher gun laws. The Royal Commission is not, instead of immediate practical action, it is as well as that, not substituting for what we are doing, but strengthening it, doing everything we can to keep all Australians safe and to safeguard our social cohesion.
Modern Australia was born with the understanding of the importance of unity. That's how 125 years ago, we came together as a nation. We chose to put aside the differences in the different, what are now our states, to come together knowing that we're better and stronger when we work together. And that remains the proud heart of our national story. A story enriched by people of every background and traditional, united by their love of this great country. The great Australian instinct to pull together will always be stronger than those who seek division and seek to drive us apart. Here in Australia, light will always triumph over darkness. I'd ask the Special Envoy to make some comments and then we'll hear from the Attorney-General and then the Minister for Home Affairs, and then we'll take some questions.
JILLIAN SEGAL, SPECIAL ENVOY TO COMBAT ANTISEMITISM: Thank you. Thank you, Prime Minister, and good afternoon, everyone. I believe the government's decision that you've just heard to establish a Royal Commission into Antisemitism is the right one and an important one. And I think it's important that the government has listened to all those who've advocated for such a Commission. It does reflect the seriousness of the growth in antisemitism and its impact on our country and our democracy. And as you know, the Jewish community and the broader Australian community have been calling for a process of this sort of authority. And it's very important that those calls have been heard. And given the scale of antisemitism, that we have a full, wide ranging and independent examination like a Royal Commission is absolutely warranted. As the Prime Minister said, it's about establishing the facts and the causes, identifying the failures and understanding the best way forward. And most importantly, what it needs to aim for is to understand what we must do as a country, as I've said before, to push antisemitism to the margins and make sure that events that we've experienced can never happen again. As we know, antisemitism escalated sharply after the terrorist attacks of 7 October 2023 - but it didn't begin there. We saw a sustained pattern of threats, intimidation and violence immediately after. But there had been growth in antisemitism before then. Then we had Bondi, and Bondi did not occur in isolation. There were signs pointing to it. And we must examine those warning signs so that something like that does not happen again to Jewish Australians or to any Australians. The Commission, as the Prime Minister said, does not pause or replace the ongoing work to combat antisemitism and extremism. And my work will continue without interruption. Focus will remain on prevention, education, institutional accountability and community safety. And I think Australians expect truth about what happened at Bondi and the root causes. They expect sustained action to address the conditions that allowed such hatred to take root. And both must proceed together. So, I will work very closely, where appropriate, with the Commissioner and outcomes matter, and we will do our best to make sure that the process delivers them. Thank you.
MICHELLE ROWLAND, ATTORNEY-GENERAL: Thank you. As the Prime Minister said, the Governor-General will issue letters patent establishing a Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion. And I acknowledge and thank Virginia Bell AC for her willingness to serve the Australian people by leading this important inquiry. Ms Bell is an eminent and highly capable former justice of the High Court of Australia, and I have no doubt that she will examine the complex issues ahead with impartiality and precision. As the Prime Minister said, the Royal Commission will focus on four key areas of tackling antisemitism through investigating the nature and its prevalence in institutions and society, making recommendations to assist law enforcement and other agencies to respond to antisemitic conduct, examining the circumstances surrounding the antisemitic Bondi terrorist attack on 14 December last year, and capable of making any other recommendations arising out of the inquiry for strengthening social cohesion in Australia. Now, this will be an important opportunity for Australians, particularly Jewish Australians, to have their voices heard and to speak to their experiences. We all want a safer, more unified Australia. This Royal Commission, as the Prime Minister said, will be one part of that process, but a very important one. The Royal Commission will build on those immediate actions the Government has taken and is taking now to crack down on those who spread hate division and radicalisation in our community. And that includes our proposed legislation to further combat hate speech and its harmful consequences. Royal Commissions are complex undertakings and of course, it will take some time, but as you will see, this will commence as soon as practicable. The Commissioner and her team will keep the public updated on relevant timings.
TONY BURKE, MINISTER FOR HOME AFFAIRS: Thank you. And thank you, Prime Minister. And thanks as well to the Special Envoy for Antisemitism, Jillian Segal, for the work that we've been doing together as well. The important thing with today's announcement is the Government has crafted this in a way that makes sure that we are clearly listening, in particular to the pleas that have come from family members and relatives, but doing so in a way that does not slow down our response, and doing so in a way that also maximises the capacity for social cohesion. And I'll explain on each of those. In terms of not slowing us down. The Richardson Review will now become part of the Royal Commission, but will still report in April. The urgent information that we need for national security to make sure that our national security settings are fit for purpose will still come to us in the same timely way that the Prime Minister and I had said was so essential when we first announced that review from Dennis Richardson. The second thing is, in terms of social cohesion, it is very important that the Royal Commission be crafted in a way that does not go on forever and that gives the Commissioner very specific powers to make sure it is conducted in a way that promotes social cohesion. Some of the terms of reference that have been floated around, in particular from the Opposition in recent weeks, would have left something that gave us no answers for a very long time, would not have had the expertise of someone like a national security expert, like Dennis Richardson, and also would have failed to have the priority of social cohesion in the structure that's been given here. What this means is the government has now crafted a way to be able to very specifically listen to the families, have a Royal Commission, act quickly on national security, and also respect the need in Australia for social cohesion.
JOURNALIST: You said you've taken the time to consider this Royal Commission. In the last few weeks, yourself and members of the government have variously said that a Royal Commission at a federal level would be too long, too broad, risk platforming hate, would traumatise members of the Jewish Australian community. Was it premature for you to make those assessments and your ministers to make those assessments given the decision you've now arrived at?
PRIME MINISTER: No, what we've done is listen and we've worked through those issues. And we've concluded that where we have landed today is an appropriate way forward for national unity. I have emphasised that. This has been a time where I've listened to people genuinely, sitting down talking about their experiences as well. And there's two issues I think we need to consider. One is of course, the 14 December attack. And in that, I think the Richardson Review and the work there that will be part of the Royal Commission is absolutely critical. The first responsibility is to go through national security issues. Were there any gaps? Do we need to take any action there? But the issue of antisemitism certainly didn't begin on 14 December 2025. It goes back many, many years. Jewish schools and institutions have had security, including the creation of the CSG, was last century. Why is it that a school that happens to have Jewish students needs guards outside it? My school didn't have guards outside it, nor should any school. These are the sort of issues that have been raised with me. We have listened. We want to give the opportunity for people to come forward and to do so in a way that promotes social cohesion by rolling in the Richardson Review and the work that Dennis Richardson will do into the Royal Commission. That is one way in which the timeframe has been curtailed. I think if we had adopted the 73-point proposal that was put forward by the Opposition, we would have been many years down the track before we received any practical outcomes.
JOURNALIST: Do the terms of reference allow the Royal Commission to investigate how the government handled the rise of antisemitism since October 2023 and advice given to government on what needs to be done to prevent this kind of terrorism?
PRIME MINISTER: Of course it does. I read from point A, 'tackling antisemitism by investigating the nature and prevalence of antisemitism in institutions and society and examining its key drivers in Australia, including religious and ideologically-motivated extremism and radicalisation, including in the lead up to the antisemitic Bondi terrorist attack on 14 December 2025.' Then it goes on to say, 'Identify any opportunities to enhance the responses of governments to antisemitism, including but not limited to,' and it goes through those things as well. And then it goes through in the very next point, 'making recommendations to counteract and prevent manifestations of antisemitism.'
JOURNALIST: Will the Inquiry be able to go beyond the Richardson Review in terms of examining operational and strategic failures in intelligence, or is that part of the Review? It just takes on board what he says?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, one of the things about the Royal Commission is that it is independent. So, the terms of reference are there. Former Justice Bell, the Honourable Virginia Bell AC, is a very experienced legal practitioner. She will run the Commission independently and it will be able to examine a full range of issues, including - we'll release the terms of reference, though very clearly, for example, when it comes to that, 'make any recommendations to assist law enforcement, border control, immigration, and security agencies to tackle antisemitism, including by...' And it goes through all of those issues. And then the next, C, is 'examine the circumstances surrounding the antisemitic Bondi terrorist attack on 14 December,' and it goes through the full range of issues. The leading up to and planning of the attack, the interaction and information sharing between Commonwealth agencies, for example. Security arrangements for the Chanukah event at Bondi Beach, the attack itself, emergency response to the attack, whether relevant Commonwealth state and territory intelligence and law enforcement agencies performed to maximum effectiveness, including whether they had adequate powers and the right systems, processes, and procedures, and whether there was an appropriate authorising environment for information sharing with other Commonwealth state and territory agencies. So, it's very comprehensive. We have spent taking the time to get this right, and I believe we have.
JOURNALIST: In terms of this December deadline, how can details of the circumstances leading to the Bondi killings, as outlined in the terms of reference, how can they be tabled without compromising a court case against the shooter?
PRIME MINISTER: One of the statements very early on is, 'and the necessity,' in the greeting, as it's called, formally - I've discovered a range of legal terms that are rather strange to me as a non-lawyer, but greeting is - 'and the necessity for the Inquiry to be conducted in a manner that does not occasion prejudice to current or future criminal proceedings or national security or social cohesion.' One of the benefits of Virginia Bell as the Royal Commissioner is very much that she has that background and that experience in criminal law.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, have you given any indication in the terms of reference of Budget or monetary recommendations for this?
PRIME MINISTER: They will be considered as part of our Budget process in May.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, just following up on Clare's question, given the previous opposition that you and your Cabinet members have expressed towards a federal probe, what was the point where you decided that you - what triggered your decision to go ahead with it? And what would you say to critics who say that it's been done for political reasons after such an outpouring of public expression?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, what we have tried to do and what I've tried to do in the way that I've conducted myself - you haven't had politics from me. I've engaged constructively regardless of some of the things that have been said. I haven't engaged in politics. I have been focused on outcomes. That's the first point. The second is I've listened and in a democracy, that's a good thing, to listen to what people are saying. And what people are saying is, yes, we're concerned about the events and the Richardson Review will give consideration to those national security issues, 'were there any gaps' or anything else. But we want an opportunity to tell our story about what occurred from - I sat in one of the rabbi's homes and one of his relatives spoke about, with a young boy there, who'd gone into Sydney shopping on a Sunday and had been vilified. That child wasn't responsible for anything that is happening in the Middle East. That was a child going shopping with his mother on a Sunday, and they felt like they couldn't do that in the future. We also, if you look at from the very beginning, the New South Wales government announced a Royal Commission. And when I first stood here, I said we would fully cooperate with it. If you got a New South Wales government Royal Commission with full cooperation, including access to everything that we said we would provide, all of the Commonwealth institutions, then it becomes - a de facto Commonwealth Royal Commission was in place anyway. So, what we are doing here is making sure that we get it right.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, some members of the Jewish community, including Josh Frydenberg, had concerns about Justice Bell being appointed because of some of her previous decisions on protest laws. Why did you decide not to listen to them?
PRIME MINISTER: I listened to a range of voices and there were different views in the community. Mr Frydenberg, I'll leave to one side, but we certainly consulted widely. Widely, and there were a range of views. One of the rabbis, I won't name him, but one of the most common themes that I get from members of the Jewish community is that 'if you've got four people, you will have five opinions'. There were multiple opinions. If you look at what is required by this Royal Commission, there is no one of the stature of Virginia Bell, a former High Court judge, a former head or senior person in the New South Wales Supreme Court, someone with a background in criminal law, someone who is widely respected right across the board.
JOURNALIST: PM, are you and Minister Burke and other ministers willing to give evidence to the Royal Commission?
PRIME MINISTER: That's all a matter of the Royal Commissioner. The Royal Commissioner will determine what happens and of course everyone will comply. That's the nature of a Royal Commission.
JOURNALIST: What was the straw that broke the camel's back?
PRIME MINISTER: No, we have been working through the processes. One of the things that we have done very clearly, if - there is not a single point in time, it's a series of discussions that I've had in homes of people like Rabbi Ulman who is from the community, the Chabad community, that organised the Chanukah event. He's the lead rabbi who's there. I've sat in his home. I've sat in the home of Rabbi Mendel. I haven't brought cameras and media events. I've sat there and I've listened to people and engaged with them. That's my responsibility as Prime Minister of this country. And I'm absolutely determined that anything we did had to build social cohesion, not bring it apart. I don't want a Royal Commission into whether we provide a solution on Gaza or on the Middle East. That's not the role of a Royal Commission. And I've said consistently, including right here, the number of times I've said Australians want two things. They want, when it comes to the Middle East, they want it to stop, they want peace for Israelis and Palestinians. But the other thing that they want is for conflict to not be brought here. And the truth is that some people have held Jewish Australians to account for views or actions that they're opposed to, that have nothing to do with them. That's why we've done the legislation on doxxing, for example. Why is it that artists like Deborah Conway have been targeted because they are Jewish? That is unacceptable. I want to have a debate about that, a debate which lowers the temperature as the Director-General of ASIO has consistently called for. Has a debate which doesn't - there's a lot of shouting in public discourse this way. I'm sure that there'll be submissions as well about the role of social media and the role in which extremism has been propagated, and that will be a part I'm sure of the public submission process which will occur.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you indicated a couple of minutes ago your willingness to cooperate with the New South Wales Royal Commission was effectively the same as a Commonwealth Royal Commission. So, what difference will today's announcement make? Is this aimed at healing or lowering the temperatures as you indicate, or is there a practical difference in this?
PRIME MINISTER: The practical difference is that antisemitism isn't confined to between the Tweed River and the Murray. This is a Commonwealth Royal Commission. It will have, by definition, the Commonwealth have particular resources. And one of the groups and individuals I've spoken to as well have been people outside of New South Wales. So, that has had an impact as well, people who have said there are other issues that need examining nationally as well.
JOURNALIST: In terms of what you said, though, about antisemitism not being located in New South Wales, hasn't -
PRIME MINISTER: Not just in New South Wales.
JOURNALIST: Hasn't that been the point right from the start, though? Isn't that the entire reason why you should have called a Commonwealth Royal Commission earlier? Do you think you made a mistake in not doing that? Do you think you lowered the temperature by forcing people in the Jewish community to feel like you had to be dragged kicking and screaming, in some cases raising money for full page ads? How have you lowered the temperature by refusing to agree to a Royal Commission for this many weeks and putting people in a position where they had to sign pieces of paper and take out advertisements that cost money?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it is 25 days since the 14 December attack. In that 25 days, we've established the Richardson Review and got it up and running. We have drafted legislation that we're sitting down with community members on today, have been taking place. We have increased funding for security agencies. We have had daily briefings of the National Security Committee. We have been undertaking those briefings and getting the reports of what has occurred, some of which has been reported publicly, some of which has not been, trying to get to the heart of what has occurred here. And I don't think anyone can reasonably accuse me, I can be accused of many things, raising the temperature is not one of them.
JOURNALIST: At what step in that process did the Envoy tell you to have a Royal Commission?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, the Envoy stood here with me. One of the things we did was stand here and prioritise as well the bringing forward of some of the actions of her report. That is what the engagement with the Envoy has been about, her report, and there are further ideas that the Envoy has. And we'll have more to say. We'll have more to say in coming months.
JOURNALIST: Can I ask Ms Segal, did you suggest to the Prime Minister that there should be a Royal Commission, and at what stage did you say that?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, of course she has. She just said just then that she has in recent times said, spoken to me about the views of the community. That is one of the things that is her task.
JOURNALIST: Last week at a press conference here, yourself and Minister Burke raised concerns that a Royal Commission would platform some of the worst examples of antisemitism and hatred over the last couple of years. Could I ask if you still hold those sort of concerns? If not, what measures have you taken to potentially mitigate those sort of concerns? Will there be, for instance, private hearings or not open hearings? And in that same sort of sense, now that the Richardson Review has been rolled into the Royal Commission, will that review of intelligence agencies hold open hearings? Will they all be closed door as well?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, that will be a matter for Mr Richardson and also for the Royal Commissioner. What we have done to alleviate that concern is in the last point before we do the letters patent, which is 'the necessity for the Inquiry to be conducted in a manner,' et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, 'which doesn't undermine social cohesion'. So, the Royal Commissioner will bear in mind how hearings are conducted and the processes of their conduct, have that as one of the considerations. And I think that was really important. We have worked very hard. This hasn't been done up this morning. We have been working on this, for weeks I have been engaged with the community.
JOURNALIST: Some people are concerned about some of the definitions in this debate, particularly around the definition of antisemitism. Have you given any guidance to the Commissioner about the definition? Is it the same definition that your Envoy has identified?
PRIME MINISTER: We have in the greeting, again, as it's called, it says 'that recognises or acknowledges the Australian Government has adopted the IHRA working definition of antisemitism.' Very importantly, there are some who say that does not allow for criticism of actions of the state of Israel. That is not correct. What it says though is that it shouldn't be different from the holding to account of other states. And that is part of the definition of IHRA and why we announced it and that's something that the Envoy and I spoke about when we launched it.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, are you confident that the legislation your Government's working on will be ready before Australia Day, for Parliament to begin looking at it?
PRIME MINISTER: I'm hopeful, but we have a working draft and we're sitting down with - people are having a look at it and being consulted today. I met with the Leader of the Opposition on Monday, I indicated to her that I was keen on there being, if you like, an exposure draft. We proposed a committee process as well through the PJCIS, would be the appropriate committee to look at it, so that before Parliament returns, it is clear that that will occur. There'll be two parts of Parliament returning. One is a condolence motion. I gave the draft of the condolence motion to the Leader of the Opposition on Monday for their consideration. I think those things surely should be pretty straightforward. And then separately to that, consideration of the legislation. But it's important that those two issues, out of respect for those innocent people who were cut down and murdered by the terrorists, that they be given the respect that they deserve, and so that to be separated from debate on the legislation.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, on a technical question, will Dennis Richardson be given the status and powers of a Commissioner? And also, this is going to be just a year or slightly less than a year in length. The Robodebt Royal Commission was about the same length. There were concerns around the speed of that Commission and people not having enough time to read evidence and so on before they took to the witness stands. Are you confident that this will give all the natural justice procedures that are needed?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I'm certainly confident that one of the things that it needed to be was timely. That's what people are looking for. They're looking for action and we're providing that action across a range of areas, but we're also providing the Royal Commission that will lead to, I would certainly envisage and hope, will lead to practical recommendations, but will also lead, as part of the process if it's conducted properly and done in the right way, into that process of healing. The nation has to come together. The nation needs unity, doesn't need division, and part of the focus will be how we achieve that.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL: Just in terms of the mechanics of Dennis Richardson and his Inquiry, that report, as the Prime Minister said, will be provided as part of the Royal Commission process as an interim report. The Royal Commission will be administered by the Attorney-General's Department, and its Royal Commissions branch is well versed to be able to undertake this task. And the Secretary of my department is currently liaising both with Virginia Bell and also Dennis Richardson in terms of the mechanics of that.
JOURNALIST: The wheels of justice can turn very slowly. It takes about two years to get to a Sydney district court trial for the accused, and Royal Commissions have also grown out and been delayed by their sheer volume of material they have to consider. How are you so sure that this criminal trial won't be prejudiced?
PRIME MINISTER: Because I have confidence in the Royal Commissioner. It's one of the reasons why we chose someone who has a criminal law background, has been in senior positions in the Supreme Court and the High Court of Australia. That is, she's the most qualified person we could possibly consider. And I do want to really thank her for making yet another contribution to the country. This is someone who has been awarded Australia's highest honour, the Companion of the Order of Australia. She's been done that for a reason. She's widely respected and I think that she will do an excellent job.
JOURNALIST: Do you have any regrets about the way that you and other members of the Government pushed back against some of those initial calls for a Royal Commission?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, look, we've engaged respectfully with people and we've made sure I think that we've done this in a way which has got it right. We listen to people. I think that's what people want. And in the days after 14 December, we were very focused. I don't think you can argue that - some people were focused on political issues. The nation needs to come together. When there has been a national crisis in the past, whether it be the Bali bombings, which a whole lot of my constituents lost their lives, whether it be the attack that occurred on the Lindt Cafe in Sydney, whether it be Port Arthur - there was no partisanship, no partisanship whatsoever. The country came together. They offered their unity in moving forward. That is what I have tried to do. I'd ask others to conduct themselves in a similar manner.
JOURNALIST: There was a report that you were facing internal pressure to withdraw an invitation to Israel's President to visit Australia. Can you rule out that you will in fact not withdraw that invitation?
PRIME MINISTER: Yes.
JOURNALIST: Social cohesion, that element of the Royal Commission, Prime Minister. Does that allow for other forms of bigotry such as Islamophobia to be investigated?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, social cohesion is about respect for all of us. That is what Australians want to see. And hatred against one group inevitably results in responses as well. We need to come together. We're a country where people respect each other. I've spoken before about the Australian covenant. The Australian covenant is that when people arrive in Australia, they leave any hatreds or prejudices that they have in the customs hall. That's what I want to see. That's how we build a more united Australia. Thank you very much.
