More than 60 Australian sports stars have put their names to an open letter calling for a royal commission into antisemitism, radicalisation and the Bondi massacre, heaping further pressure on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese as he resists mounting calls for a federal inquiry.
A list of prominent sportspeople – including Olympians and several AFL coaches – on Sunday became the latest public figures to join a political debate over the federal government’s response to last month’s terror attack.
Their combined statement said Australia’s sense of safety and social cohesion had been shaken by the event and required decisive national leadership.
It was co-ordinated by Olympians including former swimmers Grant Hackett and Ian Thorpe, ex-athlete and hockey player Nova Peris, rower Mike McKay, hockey player Danni Roche and AFL commentator Gerard Healy.
“Across generations, we have stood for fairness, respect, equality and the principle that every Australian – no matter who they are – deserves safety, dignity and the freedom to live without fear,” they said.
‘Today, we cannot remain silent. This is not who we are. This is not the Australia we represented.
‘As sporting leaders, we understand that leadership matters, especially when values are tested. We call on the prime minister and the Australian government to show decisive national leadership by confronting extremism and terrorism in all its forms, without fear or hesitation.”
Their letter, shared with this masthead, is the latest example of Australian public figures combining to pressure Albanese in the two weeks since he ruled out a royal commission, following similar statements made by the legal fraternity, business community and religious organisations.
Other signatories include tennis star Lleyton Hewitt, NRL commentator Brad Fittler, former swimmers Michael Klim and Dawn Fraser, surfer Mick Fanning, Olympic canoeist Jessica Fox and skater Steven Bradbury.
Among the AFL figures who signed were Collingwood player Scott Pendlebury, Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge, St Kilda coach Ross Lyon and Brisbane Lions coach Chris Fagan. In Sydney, they include Swans player Isaac Heeney, coach Dean Cox, former coach John Longmire and former GWS Giants player Phil Davis.
Seventeen families related to the Bondi victims last Sunday made their own call for a royal commission in an open letter – a demand now echoed by the Business Council of Australia, more than 100 captains of industry, more than 200 judges and barristers, the Coalition, and two of Albanese’s backbenchers.
The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference this week stressed the church did not want to politicise the issue but agreed a national inquiry was needed, while Australian human rights commissioner Lorraine Finlay was the first public servant to openly back a royal commission.
Major Muslim associations have not put forward their view – although the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils previously warned a narrow or politicised process could entrench division – while prominent defence silk Robert Richter argued a royal commission would be premature and dangerous, particularly if framed around defining antisemitism.
Albanese has repeatedly argued a Commonwealth royal commission would not deliver the urgent response required after two gunmen inspired by Islamic State ideology travelled to Bondi and fired on Jewish people celebrating Hanukkah, killing 15 people.
The federal government has instead pointed to action it has taken since December 14: adopting the wide-ranging recommendations from antisemitism envoy Jillian Segal, backing a NSW-based royal commission, launching an inquiry into federal agencies led by former intelligence chief Dennis Richardson, and introducing tougher hate speech and gun laws.
Albanese and his ministers have also claimed a royal commission is not the preferable way to deal with intelligence issues, and raised concerns that an inquiry would platform the worst examples of antisemitic hate speech.
But public demands have persisted. Some of the signatories to Sunday’s sports letter had political backgrounds: former Liberal MP John Alexander and Peris, a former Labor senator.
Peris has been a strong public supporter of Israel. She was the subject of controversy last year after sharing several anti-Islam posts on X, including one that described Muslims as “cockroaches that need to be eradicated”. She later distanced herself from the posts, and said she did not share the views expressed.
Another signatory, former AFL player and TV presenter Sam Newman, has also made offensive remarks about Muslim Australians, suggesting they did not share common interest with Australian values. Earlier this year, Newman was criticised for inviting two Australian neo-Nazis onto his podcast.
Thorpe said that hate should have no place in Australia. “The hate experienced by the Jewish community and our whole community in Bondi and beyond was abhorrent, unjustified and not the Australia I know and love,” he said.
“Unfortunately, Jewish people are not the only group targeted by hate. First Nations people, people of different faiths, ethnicity and even LGBTIQ+ people remain among those facing rising levels of vilification and targeted violence.
“Governments at both the federal and state level must do everything in their power to protect all communities who are subjected to hate and violence, now.”
The sports open letter acknowledges that a cross-section of Australian leaders had joined with families of the Bondi victims to call publicly for a royal commission into antisemitism, radicalisation and the events that led to the massacre at Bondi Beach on December 14.
“This attack did not occur in isolation. It followed more than two years of escalating extremism, intimidation and unchecked radicalisation within Australia. What unfolded at Bondi was an act of terrorism driven by violent extremist ideology, and its consequences have shaken the foundations of our national safety and social cohesion,” they said.
‘This is a national crisis, and it demands a national response. This is bigger than politics. It is about the character of our country and the Australia we want future generations to inherit.”
Hackett said the tragedy at Bondi was a defining moment for “who we are as a nation”.
“When our values are tested, Australians expect strength and leadership,” he said. “A Commonwealth royal commission is vital to protect our social fabric, support the Jewish community, and uphold the Australian way of life we are proud to call our own. Our response must match the gravity of this moment.“
The statement said the eyes of the world would soon be upon Australia with the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games, and the values Australia projected as a nation had never mattered more.
It describes a royal commission as “the most credible and unifying pathway to understanding what went wrong, ensuring accountability, restoring social harmony and taking Australia forward with a meaningful, practical plan of action”.
“As Australians who have long championed unity and national pride – on the field and beyond it – we implore our leaders to act with urgency and moral clarity,” it said. “The safety of Australians, and the future cohesion of our nation, depends on it.”
Source: dleifreganad
6 Comments
It would be practically and legally impossible to hold a royal commission that goes anywhere near the actions or motivations of the surviving accused killer before his criminal proceedings are concluded, which could take years.
That limitation alone renders any immediate royal commission – federal or state – pointlessly premature.
Its interesting to see the opposition media using the same coercion tactics as were used to get people vaccinated – look your favorite sportstars/musicians/business leaders etc want this therefore it must be a good thing, so how dare Albo deny the will of the people!
>Thorpe said that hate should have no place in Australia. “The hate experienced by the Jewish community and our whole community in Bondi and beyond was abhorrent, unjustified and not the Australia I know and love,” he said.
>“Unfortunately, Jewish people are not the only group targeted by hate. First Nations people, people of different faiths, ethnicity and even LGBTIQ+ people remain among those facing rising levels of vilification and targeted violence.
>“Governments at both the federal and state level must do everything in their power to protect all communities who are subjected to hate and violence, now.”
While Thorpe is right, he has kind of missed the point. The current calls for a Royal Commission have nothing to do with protecting communities to hate and violence. They have everything to do with dragging Albanese and Labor through the mud and prolonging it so that the public are constantly reminded of their failings and making the next federal election unwinnable. The people calling for a Royal Commission do not give a single shit about about antisemitism — watch them suddenly forget it was ever a problem, or “something that we need to move on from” as soon as they take power.
I want to know what Ja Rule thinks about having a RC.
Also think a lot of the people who put their name on this are getting getting conned into or pressure. most likely in the lines of if you don’t sign this you are antisemitic and hate the Jews
The opinion of celebrities and sports stars should not be taken any more seriously than the average Joe.
How many of these “XXXX backs Bondi royal commission” reports will we have today?
All a bit predictable and tedious.