Jewish Groups Urge PM for Antisemitism Royal Commission

AUSTRALIA – The Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC), the Zionist Federation of Australia (ZFA), Zionism Victoria, the Zionist Council of NSW, the State Zionist Council of QLD, the State Zionist Council of South Australia, the State Zionist Council of WA, the ACT Zionist Council, the National Council of Jewish Women of Australia, Women's International Zionist Organisation Australia, the Australasian Union of Jewish Students, the Rabbinical Council of Australia, the Rabbinical Council of NSW, the Rabbinical Council of Victoria, the Australasian Zionist Youth Council, and the Union for Progressive Judaism today issue this unified and urgent call for the establishment of a Commonwealth Royal Commission into Antisemitism.

We express our profound sorrow at the loss of innocent life in the Bondi terror attack. This appalling act of violence has devastated families and shaken the broader Jewish and Australian communities. Our thoughts are with the victims, their loved ones and all those affected.

This tragedy has occurred against the backdrop of an unprecedented surge in antisemitism across Australia. For more than two years since 7 October 2023, and with increasing urgency, our organisations have consistently warned that escalating antisemitic incitement and activity across streets, campuses, online spaces and elsewhere would have serious and dangerous consequences. This attack underscores the real-world impact of a climate in which hatred, intimidation and violence have been allowed to proliferate.

We acknowledge and welcome recent actions taken by Commonwealth and State Governments, including the NSW Royal Commission, the adoption of recommendations from the Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, increased security funding for Jewish facilities, and legislative measures to criminalise prohibited symbols and strengthen hate crime laws.

Yet, these steps, while important, are not sufficient.

The announcement of the Richardson review into our national security and intelligence apparatus is indeed important and is being conducted by a figure of impeccable credentials. However, we strongly believe that this review will have no investigative remit to identify and expose the root causes of systemic antisemitism in Australia and is far from mutually exclusive with a needed Commonwealth Royal Commission.

In short, while commendably designed to minimise harm to the Jewish community, these steps do not tackle the underlying causes of the explosion and normalisation of antisemitic hatred in Australian society.

Antisemitism in Australia is no longer sporadic or peripheral. It is systemic and entrenched and demands a national response commensurate with the threat it poses to public safety and social cohesion.

We the undersigned national Jewish and communal organisations therefore again call directly on the Prime Minister to reconsider and exercise national leadership by establishing a Commonwealth Royal Commission into Antisemitism.

Don't Australians deserve to know not just what happened, but why it happened?

Without knowing the truth behind this massacre, how can any Australians feel truly safe, and how can we make sure it does not happen again?

As the bereaved families of the Bondi victims said in their heartfelt call for a Royal Commission, those we have lost cannot be brought back, but a well-led Royal Commission and strong action may be able to save many more.

As the highest form of public inquiry, a Royal Commission must be empowered to examine the drivers and enablers of antisemitism in Australia; assess institutional failures across education, public administration and civil society; evaluate the effectiveness of law enforcement and judicial responses to antisemitic hate speech and incitement; and identify sources of funding and influence that sustain extremist ideologies.

We would welcome the opportunity to be consulted before the Government takes any decision regarding its terms of reference and composition.

Jewish Australians are not seeking special treatment. We are seeking the fundamental right to live without fear. The time for incremental measures alone has passed. This moment requires clarity, resolve and decisive action. A Commonwealth Royal Commission into Antisemitism, together with other immediate Federal and State measures, is now essential to safeguard Australia's democratic values and social cohesion.

Signed,

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