The interim report by the Royal Commission established after the Bondi massacre recommends changes, with the broader issues of ‘social cohesion’ yet to be addressed. Stephanie Tran and Kim Wingerei report.
The interim report of the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion has been released. The report contains 14 recommendations, five of which remain confidential.
The Royal Commission was established in January following the Bondi Beach terror attack in which fifteen people were killed when two gunmen opened fire on a crowd gathered for a Hanukkah celebration. The interim report focuses on the circumstances surrounding the terrorist attack and the response of law enforcement agencies.
The commission found no evidence of critical failures in Australia’s intelligence or legal frameworks that would have prevented authorities from preventing the terror attack. There is also no explicit criticism of the police and emergency services’ responses on the night, although that will be examined further during the public hearings.
“No material or advice from any agency identified any gap in the existing legal and regulatory frameworks that impeded the ability for law enforcement, border control, immigration and security agencies to prevent, or respond to, an attack of the kind that occurred at Bondi on 14 December 2025,” the report states.
Commissioner Virginia Bell is understandably at pains to avoid the interim report prejudicing the upcoming trial of the surviving perpetrator, including not to “make findings or comments about the intention and motivation of the shooters.”
Interim Recommendations
Among the public recommendations are calls to expand high-level policing operations used during major Jewish holidays to other high-risk events, strengthen national counter-terrorism coordination, and prioritise firearms reform, including a national gun buyback scheme.
Most of the recommendations focus on procedures, reviews, and better coordination between the plethora of anti-terrorism bodies.
Five recommendations have been kept confidential due to national security reasons.
The report also discusses Jewish Community Security Groups (CSG) and how these private groups liaise with the AFP and NSW Police. CSG have documented ties to Israeli intelligence.
In a press conference, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated that the government has “adopted and will implement all the recommendations of the interim report”.
Antisemitism focus
The release of the interim report comes amid ongoing debate about the drivers of antisemitism in Australia, particularly in the context of Israel’s genocide in Gaza. However, although the report acknowledges the connection between antisemitism and Gaza atrocities, the g-word is not mentioned once.
antisemitism is mentioned 271 times, islamophobia once.
In an op-ed published by MWM earlier this week, barrister and Jewish community leader Jeffrey Loewenstein said the Royal Commissioner would have to “grapple with anti-Israel sentiment” arising from Israel’s actions in Gaza, Iran and Lebanon.
“There have been many attempts to conflate being anti-Israel with being antisemitic, including pushing the IHRA ‘definition’ of antisemitism,” he wrote.
“The Special Envoy on antisemitism, Jillian Segal, would have us believe that the weekly protest marches, and even the eventful march across the Sydney Harbour Bridge (under the Banner, March for Humanity), engendered antisemitism.”
Antisemitism Royal Commission dilemma: not all Jews think the same
Questions have also been raised about the independence of legal bodies involved in the inquiry.
Earlier this week, Deepcut News revealed that the Jewish Centre for Law and Justice, which was appointed to assist individuals making submissions, has a history of pro-Israel advocacy.
MWM previously reported that law firm Gilbert + Tobin was appointed to assist the commission without an open tender process, despite its links to the Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce.
The commission has already received more than 3,500 submissions and will begin public hearings next week.
The final report is due by 14 December 2026.
Stephanie is a journalist with a background in both law and journalism. She has worked at The Guardian and as a paralegal, where she assisted Crikey’s defence team in the high-profile defamation case brought by Lachlan Murdoch. Her reporting has been recognised nationally, earning her the 2021 Democracy’s Watchdogs Award for Student Investigative Reporting and a nomination for the 2021 Walkley Student Journalist of the Year Award.
Kim Wingerei is a businessman turned writer and commentator. He is passionate about free speech, human rights, democracy and the politics of change. Originally from Norway, Kim has lived in Australia for 30 years. Author of ‘Why Democracy is Broken – A Blueprint for Change’.