| Commissioner | The Hon. Virginia Bell AC |
|---|---|
| Inquiry period | 9 January 2026– |
| Constituting instrument | Royal Commissions Act 1902 (Cth) |
The Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion is a royal commission established on 9 January 2026 by the Australian government pursuant to the Royal Commissions Act 1902 . The Commissioner, Virginia Bell, is due to report by 14 December 2026. [1] [2] [3]
On 14 December 2025, an Islamic State (ISIS)-inspired terrorist attack occurred at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, during a celebration of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah attended by approximately 1,000 people. [4] Fifteen people were killed; forty people, including at least two police officers, were injured. [5] Four homemade bombs were thrown into the crowd but failed to detonate; and another homemade bomb was found in a car belonging to one of the shooters. [6] Numerous world leaders, news outlets and Australian authorities declared that the shooting was motivated by antisemitism. [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the shooting was "deliberately targeted at the Jewish community on the first day of Chanukah". He later said that more could have been done to prevent the attack, and that he accepts his share of responsibility as the prime minister. [15]
One of the accused was shot dead by a New South Wales Police officer; the other was injured and arrested. He was subsequently charged and is to face the Australian criminal justice system. [16] [17] The surviving accused was known to intelligence officials since 2019 but was deemed "not an immediate threat". [18]
On the night of the attack, the NSW police commissioner Mal Lanyon declared the attack a terrorist incident. [19] [20] Australian intelligence officials said one of the offenders was known to them. [20] On 16 December, the Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said that "Early indications point to a terrorist attack inspired by Islamic State". [21] Motivations were described by official sources as rooted in antisemitism, [22] [23] anti-Zionism, [24] and the ideology of the Islamic State, [24] [23] [25] but appeared to fit the profile of "lone wolf" attackers. [26] Police said both gunmen had pledged allegiance to ISIS, [18] [27] [28] and two ISIS flags were found in their car. [29] [30] According to police reports, documents allege the gunmen planned the attack months ahead. [31] Initial investigations revealed that one of the accused was a past associate of radical Islamic preacher William Haddad who violated Australia's racial hatred laws. [32] [33] [34]
The shooting exacerbated older ethnic, cultural, and religious tensions in the community, [35] [36] including the 2005 Cronulla riots, [37] [38] gun laws, [39] [40] immigration, [41] [42] [43] [44] and hate speech. [45] Since the outbreak of the Gaza war and genocide, antisemitic attacks and other incidents surged in Australia. [46] [47] [48] There was rising concern in the Jewish community and beyond that the Albanese government had not done enough to address antisemitism, [49] [50] [51] [52] [53] most notably after the mass doxxing incident, [54] the Melbourne synagogue attack in 2024; and other incidents across Australia. [55] [56] [57] [58] Additionally, the Albanese government had not responded to all the recommendations in a report delivered in July 2025 by the special envoy to combat antisemitism, Jillian Segal. [59] NSW Police and security agencies were criticised following media reports that the Jewish community had requested a stronger police presence than what was ultimately deployed for the event. [60]
In response to the Bondi Beach shooting, Albanese advocated for stricter gun laws [18] and the 2025 Australia gun buyback program was announced. [61] On 18 December, Albanese stated that, in response to the Segal report, they would take action on all the report's recommendations. [62] [63] The same day, the Albanese government announced the strengthening of hate speech laws, the Minister for Home Affairs received new powers to cancel or reject visas of hate preachers, and a taskforce to ensure that the education system counters antisemitism was announced. [62] [15]
In her response to the Bondi Beach shooting, Australian opposition leader Sussan Ley initially focused on national security and counterterrorism, calling for the immediate formation of an antisemitism and counter-terrorism taskforce; [64] and by 22 December, Ley called on the Albanese government to establish a royal commission, outlining proposed terms of reference. [65] On 29 December, relatives of eleven of the victims of the Bondi attack appealed to the prime minister for a royal commission; [66] [67] and they were supported by Jewish leaders, [68] including Josh Frydenberg, a former Liberal politician who is Jewish, [69] senior Australian barristers and lawyers, [70] former Labor politicians, [71] Australia's Human Rights Commissioner, [72] prominent business leaders, [73] former governors-general, defence and intelligence chiefs, and sportspeople. [74]
On 21 December 2025, prime minister Albanese announced an independent federal review into Australia's federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies that was to be led by Dennis Richardson, a former intelligence head. [75] The Albanese government initially ruled out holding a federal royal commission, with home affairs minister Tony Burke saying that it was not the best format to address issues of national security. [76]
On 8 January 2026 [77] [66] [78] Prime Minister Albanese announced that the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion will be established. The following day, Letter Patent were issued that incorporated the earlier-announced Richardson review. [79] The Royal Commission is to issue an interim report by 30 April, and a final report by 14 December 2026. [3] [78] The NSW Government, who had earlier announced its own state royal commission, abandoned its plans and the premier stated that NSW agencies will assist the federal royal commission. [80] [81]
Justice Virginia Bell was appointed as the sole Commissioner. Bell, a former Justice of the High Court of Australia, the highest court in the Australian court hierarchy, served on the High Court from February 2009 [82] until her retirement on 28 February 2021. Bell had previously served in the Supreme Court of New South Wales [83] and the New South Wales Court of Appeal, [84] [85] [83] and was a counsel in the Wood Royal Commission.
Some members of the Jewish community expressed concerns over the appointment of Bell as commissioner, citing past judicial rulings that helped overturn anti-protest laws. [86] [87] [88] However, the Law Council of Australia expressed appreciation for her appointment, and stated that she was "an eminent Australian jurist", and that "the conduct of royal commissions are governed by clear and well-established legal principles… In Australia, judges decide matters impartially and independently, by applying the law to the evidence before them. They do not act on personal views, political considerations, or public pressure". The Attorney-General Michelle Rowland stated that "… [Bell's] experience speaks for itself". [89]
The terms of reference outlined in the letters patent issued on 9 January 2026 require the Commissioner to examine: [3]
The powers of royal commissions in Australia are set out in the enabling legislation, the Royal Commissions Act 1902 . [90]
Royal commissions have powers to issue a summons to a person to appear before the commission at a hearing to give evidence or to produce documents specified in the summons; require witnesses to take an oath or give an affirmation; and require a person to deliver documents to the commission at a specified place and time. [91] A person served with a summons or a notice to produce documents must comply with that requirement, or face prosecution for an offence. The penalty for conviction upon such an offence is a fine of A$1,000 or six months imprisonment. [92] A Royal Commission may authorise the Australian Federal Police to execute search warrants. [93]
The Commissioner is to report by 14 December 2026; with an interim report by 30 April, with a focus on the investigations by Dennis Richardson. [3]
This article contains quotations from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.Little did they know that later that day, they would witness the first deadly attack ever targeting Jews on Australian soil... But despite the unprecedented wave of antisemitic incidents, none had previously involved a deadly attack against Jews on Australian soil.
This article contains quotations from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.The pair also recorded a video in October railing against "Zionists" while sitting in front of a flag of the Islamic State Group and detailing their motivations for the attack, police said.
We still need to know more about this terror attack and the alleged attackers, but to date there has been no evidence of a network in operation. Given the alleged gunmen were father and son, this technically fits the profile of a "lone actor" attack ...
