Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Thursday that the country will initiate a Royal Commission into antisemitism in Australia, acquiescing to increasing demands from the Jewish community, political leaders, and public figures for an independent public inquiry in the wake of the Bondi Beach Massacre.
The commission will explore the key factors driving antisemitism in Australia, recommendations for law enforcement on antisemitism and for social cohesion, and the circumstances surrounding the December 14 Hanukkah party terrorist attack.
The commission is set to be led by former High Court justice Virginia Bell, while the prime minister’s office police and intelligence review, led by Dennis Richardson, will continue as part of the commission.
“Ms. Bell has the deep experience and expertise to conduct her inquiry in such a way that meaningfully examines the impact of antisemitism on the daily life of Jewish Australians – and works to promote social cohesion,” said the Prime Minister’s Office.
The prime minister requested that Bell ensure the commission’s report is made available before the anniversary of the terrorist attack and that the inquiry does not prejudice any criminal proceedings.
Richardson will work to deliver an interim commission report in April.
“This is what Australia needs: to heal, to learn, to come together in a spirit of national unity, and to go forward knowing that just like people who gathered that night on Bondi Beach were committing to – that light will prevail over darkness,” said Albanese.
“It’s clear to me that a Royal Commission is essential to achieving this.”
At a Thursday press briefing, Albanese explained that he had changed course on the need for a commission after meeting with Jewish community leaders and victims of the massacre.
He added that he had been more focused on faster solutions like legislation and the Richardson review.
“A Royal Commission is not the beginning or the end of what Australia must do to eradicate antisemitism, protect ourselves from terrorism, or strengthen our social cohesion,” said the prime minister.
“That is an ongoing national effort, for all of us. Because an attack on Jewish Australians is an attack on all Australians.”
Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism Jillian Segal said at the briefing that it was important the government listened to those advocating for a commission, noting that the scale of antisemitism had escalated after the October 7 massacre but hadn’t begun then.
“We saw a sustained pattern of threats, intimidation, and violence immediately after. But there had been growth in antisemitism before then. Then we had Bondi, and Bondi did not occur in isolation,” said Segal.
“There were signs pointing to it, and we must examine those warning signs so that something like that does not happen again to Jewish Australians or to any Australians.”
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry welcomed the prime minister’s reversal, arguing in a statement that it was “the only way that Australia’s time-honored standards of decency and fairness can be upheld.”
'Prevent manifestations of antisemitism'
ECAJ president Daniel Aghion called for the commission to review security measures such as “the extent to which the Jewish Community should reasonably be required to protect itself and fund that protection” and the role of “universities, trade unions, political parties, media, social media platforms, and funding sources in amplifying antisemitism.”
“Special attention should be given to immigration controls, online campaigns, and the circumstances relating to the Bondi Beach terrorist attack, with a view to identifying lessons and reforms,” said Aghion.
The New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies said in a statement that the commission must not only examine the conduct of security agencies but also government action since the October 7 massacre.
“The success of the commission will ultimately depend on maintaining the confidence of all key stakeholders in the independence and rigor of the process which is undertaken,” said the board.
“We need answers about how we arrived at this moment and substantive recommendations about how we can move forward and eradicate the hate which has found such a comfortable footing in our society.”
The Zionist Federation of Australia said on X/Twitter that the terms of reference laid out by Albanese provided a strong foundation for the commission.
“The work now is to ensure the Commission is able to examine all relevant issues fully and rigorously, so it can follow the evidence wherever it leads and deliver practical reforms that strengthen the safety and wellbeing of Jewish Australians and the broader community,” said ZFA president Jeremy Leibler.
The Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) said it was vital that Bell be advised not only by experts in national security, law, and education, but also by Jewish community representatives.
AIJAC National Chairman Mark Leibler and Executive Director Dr Colin Rubenstein noted that the decision to hold the commission came about due to “sustained calls from the Australian Jewish community, including victims’ families and survivors, as well as a broad cross-section of security, legal, and business experts, sporting leaders, and concerned citizens.”
Albanese had resisted calls for a commission in the weeks following the Bondi massacre that left 15 dead and 40 wounded, instead favoring the internal Richardson review.
Already at a December 21 ceremony on the last day of Hanukkah, Jewish community leaders such as Aghion and the president of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, David Ossip, had called for a Royal Commission; such demands only continued to mount.
Families and victims of those wounded or killed signed a statement calling for the commission, contending the review would examine factors leading up to the attack and the government’s response to rising antisemitism.
The Rabbinical Association of Australasia sent a letter to Albanese four days later, explaining that a commission was needed to restore trust broken by past failures to address antisemitism through independence and transparency.
The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference supported their religious counterparts on January 1, arguing that while the Richardson review would be sufficient for inquiry into law enforcement, a commission was needed to explore the deeper problems in Australian society.
On Sunday, more than 60 of Australia’s most prominent sports figures issued a call for a commission in accordance with the wishes of the victims’ families, and on Tuesday, the Law Council of Australia contended that a royal commission was needed to restore confidence in the law.
The council also said that many of the issues at play – such as national security coordination, intelligence-sharing arrangements, communications and online regulation, hate speech legislation, and counter-terrorism laws – required federal-level exploration unhindered by jurisdictions.
Political support for a commission deepened as opposition parties were joined by former and even current Labor Party members. In New South Wales, Premier Chris Minns sought to establish his own commission in lieu of a federal inquiry.
Albanese said he would support the NSW government’s commission and explained on Thursday that another reason behind his change of heart was that the support of commonwealth institutions would make it a de facto royal commission anyway.
The prime minister expected that the NSW commission would be folded into the royal commission.
Albanese also rejected calls for a royal commission by arguing that such a federal inquiry would be too slow and would harm social cohesion by platforming “some of the worst voices” in society.
On Tuesday, he said at a press briefing that his administration was prioritizing the Richardson review and recalling parliament to pass legislation against “hate speech.”
On Thursday, the prime minister again championed these efforts as part of a quick government response to the Bondi massacre.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong briefed her Israeli counterpart on the decision to hold a commission, a source told The Jerusalem Post.
Mathilda Heller and Amichai Stein contributed to this report.