Australia's former top home affairs bureaucrat has launched a forceful call for a full Royal Commission into the deadly Bondi Beach terrorist attack, directly challenging Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's preferred internal review.
Pezzullo challenges PM's "administrative review"
Mike Pezzullo, the former secretary of the Department of Home Affairs, argued that the review commissioned by Mr Albanese and led by former ASIO chief Dennis Richardson lacks the necessary legal powers. He told Sky News that only a Royal Commission could effectively probe the role of national security agencies and how two alleged gunmen managed to murder 15 innocent people in the anti-Semitic attack.
"They will get to the truth of the matter as best as they can establish it based on the voluntary cooperation of all of the key parties," Mr Pezzullo said of the Richardson inquiry. He warned that without the power to compel evidence from security agencies, the review would be fundamentally limited.
Mr Pezzullo specifically stated the commission must investigate "the actions of the government itself". This includes examining whether the Prime Minister's earlier decision to split the Home Affairs portfolio – a move since reversed – damaged collaboration between agencies like the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation.
Albanese defends Richardson's "urgency and unity" approach
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has faced mounting pressure from the Coalition and Jewish community groups to establish a Royal Commission. However, he has firmly resisted, insisting the review by his department offers a faster, more unified path forward.
"What we need to do is to work immediately," Mr Albanese told reporters in Canberra on Monday, December 22, 2025. He championed Mr Richardson's unparalleled credentials, noting his former roles as director-general of ASIO and secretary of both the Defence and Foreign Affairs departments.
"I don't think anyone can argue that there is anyone in this nation who is more qualified to oversee a review of our national security agencies," the Prime Minister stated, adding that the internal probe would deliver "urgency and unity, not division and delay".
A proposed model for a swift, powerful inquiry
Mr Pezzullo outlined a potential model for a Royal Commission that he believes could deliver results swiftly. He backed a proposal by former High Court Chief Justice Robert French for a joint Commonwealth-state commission, where the federal government and all states and territories could join the existing New South Wales inquiry.
He suggested a panel of three commissioners, including a former judge, a former departmental secretary, and a representative of the Jewish community. Contrary to concerns about timeliness, Mr Pezzullo argued a broad reckoning could be achieved by the end of March.
While acknowledging the Richardson review "might have some utility" in examining inter-agency information sharing, Mr Pezzullo was adamant it "must absolutely be rolled into a Royal Commission" to be effective.
On the specific failure to place the alleged attackers on an ASIO watchlist, Mr Pezzullo defended the agency's officers as "great patriots" and "some of the most effective security intelligence officers in the world". He noted the public would be shocked by the size of ASIO's caseload but expressed confidence the agency was already reviewing all leads.
The debate sets the stage for a significant political clash over how Australia holds its national security apparatus to account following one of the nation's worst terrorist atrocities.
