Australia to launch major review of intelligence agencies after Bondi Beach attack

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a major review of Australia’s intelligence agencies, including ASIO, in the wake of the Bondi Beach attack. The review will assess how federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies performed in the run-up to the assault and whether current powers, structures and information-sharing arrangements are sufficient to protect Australians going forward.

Former intelligence chief Dennis Richardson will head the independent review of federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies, including ASIO. The review will examine whether agencies have the right powers, structures, processes and sharing arrangements to keep Australians safe in the wake of the antisemitic Bondi Beach attack. The government said the findings would be made public when finalised in April 2026.

Albanese said the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet will examine whether federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies have the right powers, structures, processes and sharing arrangements in place to keep Australians safe in the wake of the horrific antisemitic Bondi Beach terrorist attack. “The ISIS-inspired atrocity last Sunday reinforces the rapidly changing security environment in our nation. Our security agencies must be in the best position to respond,” the prime minister said.

The intelligence review announcement was foreshadowed on Saturday when Albanese backed a state-based royal commission after New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said the powers of a wide-ranging inquiry were needed to determine what went wrong in the lead-up to the events of last Sunday. Federal MPs including Wentworth MP Allegra Spender have led calls for a federal royal commission, though government ministers have played down the need, arguing such an inquiry would take too long and draw resources away from law enforcement.

Albanese’s announcement comes amid a broader slate of federal government plans rolled out in the week since the attack. The government has pledged the largest gun buyback since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, strict limits on how many guns a person can own and a plan to combat antisemitism. Richardson has served as secretary of the Defence and Foreign Affairs and Trade departments, as well as Australia’s ambassador to the United States. The national security committee of cabinet has continued to meet over the weekend, and federal cabinet will reconvene on Monday. Albanese plans to attend a commemoration event at Bondi Beach later this afternoon.

Suspected gunman Naveed Akram, 24, was charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder. NSW Police said the charges include one count of committing a terrorist act, one count of discharging a firearm in public, one count of displaying a prohibited terrorist symbol, one count of placing an explosive in or near a building with intent to cause harm, and 40 counts of wounding with intent to murder. “Police will allege in court the man engaged in conduct that caused death, serious injury and endangered life to advance a religious cause and cause fear in the community,” the police statement said. Akram’s father, Sajid, 50, was fatally shot by police during the nine-minute attack.

Early indications point to a terrorist attack inspired by ISIS, a listed terrorist organisation in Australia, authorities said. Hundreds of flowers have been laid at Bondi Beach in memory of victims as investigators pursue what went wrong in the lead-up to the attack and how similar incidents might be prevented in the future.