Australia's Royal Commission on Antisemitism Concludes Public Hearings

The Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion concluded four months of public hearings in Sydney and Melbourne on Wednesday. The inquiry was established following an ISIS-inspired attack at a Hanukkah event at Bondi Beach in December 2025, where Sajid and Naveed Akram allegedly killed 15 people. Led by Commissioner Virginia Bell, the commission processed over 20,000 submissions and heard from more than 300 witnesses, including survivors and academics reporting harassment on university campuses.

An interim report released in April found that New South Wales police failed to complete a comprehensive risk assessment for the Bondi event despite warnings from the Jewish community. The report recommended expanding protections for Jewish communities and implementing a national gun buyback plan, which the federal government pledged to adopt. The proceedings also highlighted tensions regarding the IHRA definition of antisemitism and the conflation of Jewish identity with the state of Israel.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese formed the commission after initially rejecting the idea due to public and political pressure. While New South Wales Premier Chris Minns and MP Julian Leeser sought to extend the hearings to further uncover the truth, a parliamentary motion for the extension was defeated. Commissioner Bell is scheduled to deliver the final report on December 18, 2026.