Hon. Patrick Gorman MP on Sky News Afternoon Agenda

TRUDY MCINTOSH, HOST: I want to bring in now Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, Patrick Gorman, who joins me from Perth. Pat, can you explain, why did it take so long for the Prime Minister to read this national mood for a federal Royal Commission?

PATRICK GORMAN, ASSISTANT MINISTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER: Trudy, we have always been focused on action. Since these horrific antisemitic terrorist attacks happened at Bondi Beach on 14 December, the Government has been focused on acting. That is what we sought to do in our immediate response, to make sure we were helping our national security agencies, in terms of the work that needed to be done immediately after that. You had the work that was done to both respond to the Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, and then the work to establish the Richardson Review. We have continued to find ways to act, and this is more action. I welcome it. I think it has been broadly welcomed across Australia in the last 24 hours. I know for my electorate here in Perth, which has the third largest Jewish community in Australia, it has been warmly welcomed, and I have received those messages today. It is the right path forward, and it is the right way to hold a Royal Commission to make sure that we get some answers early, some by the 30th of April this year, before we even get into the budget, then the rest within the year since these horrific attacks. So I think that is the right way forward. I think it is what Australians want to see. People do not like seeing these go on for years and years with no actual action, coming out of them. And we found a way to do that, which will mean that everyone from families to Jewish community leaders to national security experts, everyone can have their say through commission, and we can get a path forward.

MCINTOSH: I noted with interest when the Prime Minister said, on the 22nd of December, every Royal Commission has asked for an extension of time. That was one of the reasons given not to have this inquiry. Has the Prime Minister sought an assurance from former Justice Bell that that won't be the case this time around, that there won't need to be an extension?

GORMAN: Well, I would refer your viewers to the letters patent that was signed at Admiralty House in Sydney earlier today at a special meeting with the council where -

MCINTOSH: But it's the case with every royal commission, right? They signed the patent, but they asked for an extension.

GORMAN: The Australian community want this to come in on time. I think that is what is expected of the Royal Commissioner. It is what is expected of all those who work for it, within the special unit that helps with royal commissions within the Attorney-General's Department. I think it is what is expected when we are going to - as just been announced on your program - reach out to the states to get their support and participation in this Royal Commission, to do it in a way where we get it done in a reasonable timeframe. I think that is a good expectation to put on the Royal Commission. I think it matches community expectations too. It matches community expectations that it gets set up quickly. That we have got terms of reference that are clear. And we have got work to do - that the parliament will continue to do throughout 2026 with some of the laws that have already been started, to be drafted and be consulted on soon. And then we go on to what else we can do through the deep work of the Royal Commission to make sure that we do what I want to do and what I think Australians all want, which is to stamp out the antisemitism that does exist in Australia, sadly. But also to work on that shared project of social cohesion, recognising that every Australian makes a contribution to this country and every Australian is better off when we work together.

MCINTOSH: Pat, I wanted to ask you, though, whether you think the Prime Minister has failed to meet the moment that it felt like he was seeming to defy political gravity in ignoring the calls of the family members of victims in particular, has he failed to meet the moment?

GORMAN: I think what you have got, in Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, is someone who is incredibly committed to listening and then acting. And to making sure that you have all of the views that need to be put forward - and that when we announce something, it is not just a football, it is a complete package. And that is what I saw from the Prime Minister when he stood in the Prime Minister's courtyard of Parliament House yesterday. A complete package. The terms of reference out there for everyone to see, including yourselves in the media. An announcement of the Royal Commissioner and clearly articulating how it ties in with the work of the Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism. I think that is what Australians expect. They do not like governments coming out with half an idea. They like us to come out with a clear determination to act. And that is what I have seen from the Prime Minister and my colleagues throughout the period we have had just over four weeks since those horrific antisemitic terrorist attacks. A commitment to action. To doing things that will actually make a difference, and doing them, having taken careful advice from public servants, community leaders, business leaders. We take all of that in, and then we get something done. I think that has been the right path forward. I do welcome what I have seen, both on your program and elsewhere. There has been broad support for the action the Government has taken and the way in which we have done it. That is a good thing, because we all now - regardless of where and where around the Parliament you sit, or what business you might happen to lead, or what role you might play in the media or in community life - we all want this Royal Commission to be a success. Because it is essential to our nation's success, and that is why I would encourage everyone to get behind it. I know there are already people drafting submissions right now, and I look forward to those being lodged. I look forward to the Royal Commission doing its hearings, doing its work, considering what recommendations need to be made, and we will get the first of those reports by the 30th of April this year. That is a good thing.

MCINTOSH: Pat Gorman, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, appreciate you joining us. Thank you.