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Royal CommissionNewsAustralia

Albanese announces Royal Commission into antisemitism and social cohesion

The federal government has bowed to pressure for a Royal Commission, while going ahead with implementing some of Antisemitism Envoy Jilian Segal’s most controversial recommendations.
Deborah Stone & Michael Visontay
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Albanese Bondi

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the memorial held for the victims of the Bondi attack (Saeed KHAN / AFP via Getty Images)

Published: 8 January 2026

Last updated: 6 May 2026

Former High Court Justice Virginia Bell has been appointed to lead a Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion, in the wake of the Bondi Chanukah massacre.

The Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the Royal Commission this afternoon, acknowledging that pressure from the victims' families and the Jewish community had influenced his decision, after he earlier expressed uncertainty about the value of a Royal Commission.

The Royal Commission will run alongside the Independent Commonwealth Review into security by Dennis Richardson, which is investigating whether ASIO and the Australian Federal Police performed effectively and why they failed to prevent the terrorist attack.

Albanese emphasised the need for the Royal Commission to be conducted quickly, and said it will be required to report by 14 December 2026, the one-year anniversary of the attack by two shooters, which killed 15 innocent victims and left many others wounded.

The Royal Commission will:

  • investigate the nature and prevalence of antisemitism, examining its key drivers in Australia, including religious and ideologically motivated extremism and radicalisation
  • make recommendations to assist law enforcement to control immigration and security agencies to tackle antisemitism, including through improvements to guidance and training within law enforcement, border control, immigration and security agencies to respond to antisemitic conduct
  • Examine the circumstances surrounding the Bondi terrorist attack, in concert with the Richardson review
  • Make other recommendations arising out of the inquiry for strengthening social cohesion in Australia and countering the spread of ideological and religiously motivated extremism.

Albanese said the format of the Royal Commission had been crafted to ensure it could examine the impact of antisemitism on the daily life of Jewish Australians without "providing a platform for others to push antisemitic hatred". He had previously expressed concerns that a Royal Commission could become a place where antisemitism was expressed.

He said he had listened to those who have argued Australia needs a federal Royal Commission, not just a state-based commission, as NSW Premier Chris Minns had promised in the absence of a federal commission. "Antisemitism isn't confined to between the Tweed River and the Murray," he said.

Albanese emphasised the Royal Commission would not stop other responses to the massacre including ammendments to the hate speech laws, which he said he hoped would be passed before Australia Day; tougher gun laws; and the Gonski review into education strategy. He also said it would not interfere with the prosecution of the living shooter.

Australia's Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism Jillian Segal welcomed the announcement. "It's important that the government has listened to all those who've advocated for such a commission. It does reflect the seriousness of the growth in antisemitism and its impact on our country and our democracy.

"A Royal Commission is absolutely warranted ... it's about establishing the facts and the causes, identifying failures and understanding the best way forward, and most importantly, what it needs to aim for is to understand what we must do as a country to push antisemitism to the margins and make sure that events that we've experienced can never happen again," she said.

Government to implement Segal recommendations

The federal government has also agreed to accept the Antisemitism Envoy’s recommendation that funding may be withheld from universities that do not adequately respond to antisemitism. But it has rejected a related proposal to terminate funding for arts and cultural bodies that fail to respond effectively.

The proposals by Jillian Segal to withhold funding from universities and cultural organisations were some of the most controversial recommendations contained in her wide-ranging plan to combat antisemitism, which was released in July.

The government’s official response, entitled Eliminating Antisemitism, was released late last month , after the massacre. This week the Prime Minister’s Office and Segal spoke with The Jewish Independent this week to clarify the steps the government has taken so far in response to the Bondi massacre.

Fighting antisemitism on campus

The Eliminating Antisemitism plan pledges to strengthen “the powers and penalties of TEQSA (the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency) to ensure it is able to step in and act when it is justified in the public interest”.

While this wording does not explicitly address the question of withholding funding, Segal confirmed to TJI that the higher education regulator will be given the power to do so. “Strengthened powers for TEQSA, including the capacity to withhold funding where organisations do not meet community expectations, will play an important role in reinforcing accountability,” she told TJI in a statement. The Prime Minister’s office was also asked for clarification about the strengthened power for TEQSA but did not respond.

The government has also appointed Emeritus Professor Greg Craven, formerly Vice-Chancellor of the Australian Catholic University, to lead a University Report Card initiative that assesses institutions on how they respond to antisemitism on campus.

Antisemitism in the arts

The Segal report called for a similar strategy in the arts and cultural sector. A recent report found Jewish artists and those working in the cultural sector face widespread ambient antisemitism.

The government’s response includes a Creative Workplaces strategy to “support fair, safe and respectful workplaces in the arts”.

But it does not make any reference to a Segal’s recommendations to withhold funding from arts and cultural bodies that fail to address antisemitism, and proposal to remove deductible gift recipient status from any charitable institution which promotes speakers or engages in conduct that promotes antisemitism.

Segal sidestepped whether she was disappointed that the government had dodged these recommendations about accountability in the arts sector. “My plan has been endorsed by the federal government and I am working constructively with it to ensure full and effective implementation,” she said.

When attacks on Israel are antisemitism

The government has also announced its adoption of the IHRA working definition of antisemitism. The definition includes examples of attacks on Israel that should be considered antisemitic. Advocates, including Segal, say it acknowledges that some  attacks on Zionism and Israel deteriorate into hate speech while critics claim it has the potential to conflate legitimate criticism with antisemitism.

 The definition is used by all the national antisemitism coordinators across the world. All but one of the 27 EU countries have adopted it.

“The IHRA definition will assist in framing the issue, understanding its causes and coordinating across governments and communities to undertake action to address it,” the government said.

Segal advocated that the definition “be used across all levels of government and public institutions” but it is unclear whether the government has committed to this level of implementation. Asked for clarification, Segal told TJI that “the government has recommitted its support for the IHRA definition and I will continue to work with them to ensure it is adopted consistently across government”.  

Segal will also publish “a supplementary guide to the IHRA definition, which will assist in its application in an Australian context.”

Education and security

The government has announced the establishment of an Antisemitism Education Taskforce, to be chaired by David Gonski, to “ensure that the Australian education system prevents, tackles and properly responds to antisemitism”. The Taskforce will include Segal and representatives from across the education system.

It has also promised increased funding for security at Jewish meeting places: “Providing and extending the Executive Council of Australia Jewry with $159.5 million in funding, in collaboration with the Community Security Groups and the National Council for Jewish Community Security, to improve safety and security at Jewish community sites, including synagogues, and to protect Jewish students in schools and higher education,” the government said. It is unclear if this figure is new funding or added onto existing funding.

READ MORE

Special Envoy’s Plan to combat antisemitism (ASECA)

Eliminating antisemitism (Federal Government)

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About the author

Deborah Stone & Michael Visontay

Deborah Stone & Michael Visontay

Deborah Stone is Editor-in-Chief of TJI. She has more than 30 years experience as a journalist and editor, including as a reporter and feature writer on The Age and The Sunday Age, as Editor of the Australian Jewish News and as Editor of ArtsHub. Michael Visontay is Commissioning Editor of TJI and was Editor-in-Chief from 2017-22. Michael is a former Assistant Editor of the Sydney Morning Herald and columnist with the Australian Jewish News. He has written six books, including Who Gave You Permission? with Manny Waks, and Welcome to Wanderland: Western Sydney Wanderers and the Pride of the West. His most recent book is Noble Fragments: the Maverick who broke up the world's greatest book (Scribe, 2024)

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