MEDIA STATEMENT 30 April 2026
As Chair of the Australia-Israel Allies Caucus, and as the former Shadow Attorney-General who called for this Royal Commission, I welcome the release of the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion’s interim report and the Government’s commitment to adopt its recommendations.
But let us be very clear. This Royal Commission only happened because the Coalition, the Jewish community and decent Australians dragged the Albanese Government kicking and screaming for 25 days after the Bondi terrorist attack.
The Prime Minister should not now take a victory lap for a process he resisted, every step of the way.
On 14 December 2025, Australia was shattered by the deadliest terrorist attack ever committed on Australian soil. Fifteen innocent men, women and children were murdered at Bondi Beach while celebrating Chanukah. It was an attack not just on Australians of the Jewish faith, but on our nation and our values.
The interim report contains 14 recommendations, including five classified recommendations, focused on strengthening Australia’s counter-terrorism and national security framework.
Importantly, the report finds that existing legal and regulatory frameworks did not prevent agencies from responding to the Bondi attack. But it also makes clear there is more work to be done to strengthen capability, coordination and preparedness.
These recommendations are a necessary first step, but they are only that, a starting point.
The Royal Commission must continue to fully examine intelligence, law enforcement and counter-terrorism arrangements, and it must remain laser focused on the broader rise of antisemitism in Australia, particularly in the wake of the October 7, 2023 terrorist attacks in Israel.
The reality is this. The Coalition, Jewish community leaders and our intelligence agencies repeatedly warned this Government about the consequences of rising antisemitism. Those warnings were ignored.
Tragically, Australians paid the price.
The Government says it will adopt all the interim report’s recommendations. That is a good thing. Now it must act, and it must act quickly, resolutely and in close cooperation with state and territory governments.
Jewish Australians do not need more words. They need safety, certainty and confidence that their government will protect them.
This week’s terrorist stabbing of two Jewish men in North London is a stark reminder that antisemitism is not confined to one country. From Bondi to London, Jewish communities are being targeted simply for who they are, and what they believe.
That is evil, and it must be confronted with strength and moral clarity.
For too long, antisemitism in Australia was minimised or ignored. It is not a fringe issue. It is a growing threat, and as Bondi showed, it can turn deadly.
Australia must be a country where Jewish Australians can live openly, safely and proudly.
That should never be negotiable.
I encourage all Australians affected by antisemitism to make submissions to the Royal Commission as it continues its work. The deadline for those submissions is the end of May.
This is about getting to the truth, fixing what is broken, and ensuring that nothing like the Bondi terrorist attack ever happens again.
The Government has no excuse now. It must follow through.
[ENDS]
Media Contact: Brendan West – 0402 556 646 – Brendan.west@aph.gov.au
