After weeks of mounting pressure, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has reversed his decision and announced a royal commission into the Bondi Beach terror attack that claimed 15 lives and left many injured. Former High Court justice Virginia Bell has been appointed to lead the inquiry, despite objections from prominent members of the Jewish community.

In this episode of The Briefing, Tara Cassidy is joined by Associate Professor of public policy Deirdre O'Neill, who explains the unique powers of royal commissions, who leads them, what makes them effective, and whether this is the strongest path to answers, accountability, and prevention. 

Headlines: A woman has been shot dead by a US ICE officer during an operation in Minneapolis, Australia is in the grip of its worst heatwave since Black Summer, with catastrophic fire conditions across parts of Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales, and NASA has been forced to postpone its first spacewalk of 2026. 

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