MEDIA STATEMENT 26 December 2025
The Rabbinical Association of Australasia, which represents rabbis serving Jewish communities across Australia, has joined the groundswell of calls for the Albanese Government to establish a Commonwealth Royal Commission into Antisemitism in Australia.
In a letter issued yesterday, the Association highlighted the dangerous escalation of antisemitism over the past two years, masquerading as anti-Zionism, and most devastatingly culminating in the Bondi terrorist attack.
It also condemned the hateful marches and demonstrations that have been allowed to continue unchecked, a culture of tolerance enabled by the Albanese Government’s inaction. As the letter states, “The massacre at Bondi Beach did not emerge in a vacuum. It was the most tragic and violent manifestation of a climate in which visceral hatred towards Jews, such as that described above – has been allowed to grow louder, more normalised, and more tolerated”.
The letter makes clear that this must end, and that it must end now, through the establishment of a Commonwealth Royal Commission.
Crucially, the Association stressed that internal reviews and departmental processes are incapable of addressing a systemic national crisis that does not respect state borders, stating “A Federal Royal Commission offers a process that is independent, transparent, and capable of confronting difficult truths authoritatively”.
The Rabbinical Association joins Australians from across the political spectrum and all walks of life demanding action. Yet despite this momentum, the Albanese Government continues to dig in its heels and resist. With so many diverse voices now united in calling for a Commonwealth Royal Commission, the question must be asked: why is the Albanese Government doing everything it can to avoid one? What does it have to hide?
The urgency of this issue was underlined yet again yesterday, with the arson attack on the car of a Melbourne Jewish rabbi displaying a “Happy Chanukah” sign in St Kilda East. This attack is further evidence of the systemic, ongoing threat of antisemitism in Australia, and of the urgent need for decisive national action.
As reported in The Australian, the rabbi whose car was torched also backed a Commonwealth Royal Commission, describing the current climate as “scary” and “unsettling”. It is utterly unacceptable that Jewish Australians continue to live in fear, including in their own homes, because the Albanese Government has failed to act decisively.
Prime Minister Albanese, if you will not listen to the Coalition, will you listen to the overwhelming calls being made across Australia? Those calls include Jewish community members, former and current Labor MPs, Lindt café victim Katrina Dawson’s family, more than 170 senior barristers and judges, former Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove and countless more Australians united in demanding action. This is not partisan. This is a moral imperative.
The Albanese Government would like the public to believe that a Commonwealth Royal Commission is impractical. That claim is false. A Royal Commission does not prevent urgent legislative action – it is a crucial complement to it. The draft terms of reference prepared by the Coalition calls for an interim report by 23 June 2026.
The case for a Commonwealth Royal Commission is now overwhelming. The Coalition has released comprehensive Terms of Reference and has made clear it is ready to work with the Government to act immediately.
As Jewish Australians continue to pay the price for inaction, Australians across the political divide are demanding leadership. Prime Minister Albanese must act now and call a Commonwealth Royal Commission into Antisemitism.
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Media Contact: Brendan West – 0402 556 646 – Brendan.west@aph.gov.au