Right-wing astroturfers were given a platform at the Bondi Royal Commission, their history concealed and their testimony uncontested. Wendy Bacon reveals what the Commissioners ignored.
The last hearing block of the Royal Commission focused on social cohesion, defined as the “national consensus in support of democracy, freedom, and the rule of law”.
Counsel assisting Zelie Heger SC explained that the block would present “measures currently contributing to strengthening social cohesion” and “advancing the interests of all Australians” by promoting “respectful discussion of difficult issues”.
Amongst those chosen by Counsel Assisting were Roz Mendelle and Simonne Whine, co-directors of the Australian Cohesion Forum (ACF).
The Australian Cohesion Forum
ACF is a national not-for-profit connecting communities across Australia. It claims to be apolitical,
“… we don’t advocate for parties, candidates, or geopolitical positions, and we don’t promote stances on international conflicts. However, we recognise that politics is often central to lived experience. Our focus is on how global events affect Australians here, and our programs create structured, safe spaces to discuss difficult topics with openness, respect, and healthy boundaries.”
In explaining how ACF came into being, Mendelle and Whine told the Commission that in the wake of Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7 2023, they had separately organised to support the Jewish community.
Marketing manager and Israeli citizen Roz Mendelle explained how she moved to Brisbane with her Australian wife Hava, who had ‘made Aliyah’ to Israel.
After October 7, Mendelle felt a
“wall of hate” from protests against Israel.
She started organising pro-Israel events which were supported by Iranians and Hindus who supported Israel. She realised “this is the trick … these are the people that I need to expand relationships with.”
Meanwhile, Whine had founded a grassroots network in Melbourne called J-United to support the Jewish community.
Whine told the Commission that she kept hearing about Mendelle’s work, telling the Commission, “We want to fill a gap. And so we came up with the Australian Cohesion Forum.”
The ACF organises ‘Impact nets’, ‘coLabs’ and virtual storytelling through which they collect data from attendees to analyse how they can partner together in a “fully collaborative, agile” way.
“As long as “none of us endorses violence against another community, and we don’t wish the elimination of another community, we can work together, we can create beautiful things together,” Mendelle told the Commission.
None of the lawyers present or the Commissioner had any questions, and so Mendelle and Whine were excused.
Astroturfing campaigns
There is an easily identifiable gap in Mendelle and Whine’s evidence about how they came to work together, which in turn raises questions about how they were selected as witnesses who are said to be “advancing the interests of all Australians” by promoting “respectful discussion of difficult issues”.
Mendelle and Whine collaborated in well-funded political astroturfing campaigns in 2024 and 2025 aimed at defeating Greens and Teals. (Astroturfing is the practice of making a top-down political campaign look like a spontaneous grassroots movement.)
Dark Money: Labor and Liberal join forces in attacks on Teals and Greens
Deep Cut News, The Guardian and Australian Jewish News also reported on these campaigns.
In March 2025, Whine and Mendelle appeared in a webinar staged by the far-right Australian Jewish Association, then led by David Adler, who was a founder of Advance Australia. Advance campaigned strongly against the 2023 Voice Referendum in terms that many saw as racist.
On this occasion, Mendelle and Whine gave a different version of how they came to work together.
Earlier still, in 2024 Mendelle and her wife Hava began the third party campaigning organisation the Queensland Jewish Collective (QJC). Their strategy was to defeat the Greens by recommending voters put them last on the ballot papers.
Asked how she developed her messaging, Mendelle explained that she chose
“what was screaming in her head”,
which was that the Greens support terror groups and are anti-semitic.”
It was that simple. Australia has no truth in political advertising laws, so it didn’t matter that the Greens completely rejected the allegations.
QJC claimed credit for defeating Queensland Greens MP Amy McMahon in October 2024. They then set their sights on the Federal election and established a new third-party organisation called Minority Impact Coalition (MIC) to campaign in Queensland, NSW and Victoria. MIC describes itself as “minority and refugee lead grassroots advocacy“.
MIC and ACF operate from the same address in Apsley, Queensland. Roz Mendelle was an MIC director until January 2026.
Seen in Caulfield
Thank you to Minority Impact Coalition for calling out the truth.
Did you see the truck?
What do you think? pic.twitter.com/SMoXd5gOdB
— Australian Jewish Association (@AustralianJA) April 16, 2025
J-United director Sharon Kuper later told the pro-Israel L’Chaim radio program that QJC were happy for J-United to replicate their messaging campaign that the Greens were “misinformed, dishonest, fostering hatred and harming social cohesion” and “disregard for human life.”
Enter Advance Australia
When J-United needed funds to emulate the QJC campaign in the 2025 Victorian Prahran by-election, they reached out to Advance Australia. Kuper told the L’Chaim radio program that the Advance organisers said, “We’re happy to support you. What do you need? How about if we just support your whole campaign?”
Kuper described this as a “huge boost that they paid for our entire campaign… it took away the security concerns we had, with them endorsing and authorising our campaign.”
Advance went on to work with MIC and J-United on the Federal election under the brand name Put the Greens Last.
In the AJA webinar, Whine confirmed Kuper’s account of Advance providing assistance to J-United, describing it as a “fantastic, efficient, strategic and resource” which was “totally transparent. Very helpful…I think we’ve now built a really good relationship.”
The QJC’s Queensland campaign cost $30,000. Mendelle realised that they needed more funds for the Minority Impact Coalition’s Federal campaign from “people with slightly bigger means”. MIC sought help from Advance, who she found to be “absolutely honest, transparent, direct, and easy to deal with.”
Inside the ARC of Israel influence in the Queensland Election
ZIonist astroturfing organisations were not the only Zionists to embrace Advance. Jillian Segal’s husband John Roth donated $50,000 to Advance through a family foundation.
Any hint of this intense political campaigning was missing in Mendelle and Whine’s Royal Commission version of how they came to join forces in ACF.
Women’s International Zionist Organisation
In June, ACF featured in a plenary at the Women’s International Zionist Organisation (WIZO) Australia conference on the Gold Coast. WIZO works in partnership with the Israeli government to strengthen the resilience of Israeli society and raises funds for Israel.
The panel discussion “Cohesion in Action: Strength and Friendship featured Jewish, Iranian, Druze and Torres Strait Islander Australians”, Led by Roz Mendelle, the five speakers each expressed support for Israel.
Minority Impact Coalition
In introducing the Social Cohesion hearings at the RC, Senior Counsel Assisting Richard Lancaster SC explained that staff had already reviewed all submissions and that these informed the choice of witnesses. We can assume then that Counsel were aware of MIC’s 122-page submission.
The key contact for the MIC submission is Roz’s wife, Hava Mendelle, and the submission team includes Roz Mendelle, fellow ACF director Iranian Azin Naghibi, messianic Christian Zionist preacher and lawyer Warren Keir and extreme pro-Israel supporter Joshu Turier.
MIC’s recommendations to the Royal Commission are hard-line, in some cases going beyond Special Envoy Jillian Segal’s recommendations.
Far from showing respect for other Australians, MIC wants Australians who do not support Israel to be penalised and shut down.
According to MIC, accusing Israel of genocide is a “blood libel” sustained through “fabricated casualty figures and weaponised by elected officials, protest organisers and venue operators” to justify the exclusion of Jewish Australians.
“Modern blood libels.” UN genocide findings dismissed at JNF fundraiser
Anti-Zionism is antisemitism
According to MIC, those who amplify anti-zionist narratives should face enforceable consequences including loss of funding. Institutional silence in the face of documented antisemitic conduct should be considered a failure of duty of care.
Elected officials who promote statements that do not meet the IHRA definition or who operate official Parliamentary events featuring such content are in breach of their duties and should be accountable.
The ABC and the Federal Court should both be investigated for antisemitism for accepting the existence of a ‘lobby’ that pushes pro-Israeli perspectives.
Duties of Counsel Assisting
Counsel assisting Royal Commissions play a key role in developing investigation strategies and ensuring evidence is presented impartially and in a way that does not obscure the truth.
Mendelle and Whine were introduced by Counsel Assisting Tamara Phillips whose manner throughout the Royal Commission has been empathetic.
In December 2023, Phillips was one of more than 450 lawyers who signed a letter which defended Israel and its military tactics against criticism by 1400 lawyers who had signed a letter calling for a ceasefire.
Mark Liebler of law firm Arnold Block Liebler, which represents Federal and State Zionist organisations at the Royal Commission, was a top signatory to the pro-Israeli letter.
All the material in this piece is on the public record. MWM alerted the Royal Commission to published material about their astroturfing activities shortly before Mendelle and Whine gave evidence.
Has the evidence changed?
MWM has been asking for the exhibit of Roz Mendelle for three weeks, and has been told that there are delays “to ensure accuracy is maintained, and legal sensitivities are addressed.” We have responded and asked
how an exhibit once tendered could be changed?
Commission lawyers are now summarising evidence and developing final arguments. The Commissioner alone will then make findings. Meanwhile, the Commission staff continues to hold meetings with selected individuals where no details are published.
In the name of ‘procedural fairness’, those who were called as witnesses will be given a chance to respond to final submissions of Counsel Assisting.
Not so the groups and unnamed but identifiable individuals in the pro-Palestinian movement whom witnesses have accused of antisemitism, including those who wanted to give evidence but were not invited.
For them, there is no right of reply.
Muzzling speech by stealth. How Segal is imposing her antisemitism regime on the arts
Editor: this is Part One in Wendy Bacon’s series on the Royal Commission. In Part Two Advance Australia denies support for astroturfers. Where do they get their money?
Wendy Bacon is an investigative journalist who was the Professor of Journalism at UTS. She worked for Fairfax, Channel Nine and SBS and has published in The Guardian, New Matilda, City Hub and Overland. She has a long history in promoting independent and alternative journalism.
She is a long-term supporter of a peaceful BDS and the Greens.