Sometimes in life the inevitable is staring you in the face and you don't like what you see.

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In the middle of 2025 we had to take our beloved Weimaraner to his end-of-life veterinary appointment.

I'm still ashamed that we couldn't face it sooner. Thus he had a bit longer in discomfort than necessary because we were weak. Inevitable has a meaning and you just can't escape it.

So it is with a royal commission into the Bondi shootings. John Donne's poem "No man is an island" comes to mind. It's worth a read. "Any man's death diminishes me, Because I am involved in mankind,".

The horror at Bondi was targeted at Jews, but they're us. There's a warning at the end. "Therefore, send not to know for whom the bell tolls, It tolls for thee."

A governments first job is the safety of the people. Yes, we all and some in particular are entitled to answers. The real point however is this. Whilst we are entitled to answers, the government is obligated to find them. Without learning what we can do better the government just cannot fulfil its primary task of protecting Australians.

Much was made of Morrison's frankly truthful, but as he admits stupid, remark during the 2019 bushfires. He said "I don't hold a hose". It was a bad look staying on leave when some of the worst bushfires we've seen were raging. As the nation's leader he could have and in my view should have, been there to offer support and comfort. Morrison was right however in that politicians don't do the firefighting.

In the case of keeping Australians safe, the hose is very much in the hands of the Prime Minister and his cabinet. They have direct responsibility for dealing with anti-Semitism, Islamic radicalism and protecting Australia from terrorism. They have been "holding that hose" since early 2022. They just haven't turned it on. We've already paid a heavy and heartbreaking price for government inaction. Its time they put out the fire.

There are two, somewhat separate, but related questions. The rise of anti-Semitism and Islamic radicalism and what we do about these is one aspect. The other is the Bondi shootings in particular. What did we know, should we have known and where can we do better. A royal commission........

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