We must temper our great expectations of the Royal Commission

There have been 15 Royal Commissions in Australia since the year 2000, on topics ranging from banking misconduct to aged care to the equine influenza epidemic.

As we prepare for the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion announced last week, it is important to consider what they have achieved and what can reasonably be expected from this important and necessary attempt to address growing antisemitism.

Royal Commissions can identify causes, improve systems and provide guardrails for vulnerable groups but they have not, and cannot be expected to, remove all bad actors or prevent all instances of any problem.

We must approach this Royal Commission with a realistic understanding of its capacity to foment change. It must improve Jewish safety and work towards repairing Australian social cohesion without overly trespassing on freedom of speech.

Simply establishing the Commission and setting its terms of reference achieves something. It acknowledges the seriousness of the threat not just to Australian Jews but to the social cohesion of our entire society.

As a response to the Bondi massacre, the establishment of a Royal Commission recognises that the worst mass murder in Australia in 30 years did not occur in isolation: ambient antisemitism must be considered as a precipitating factor. Even if the shooters are found to have been acting without the auspices of a terrorist organisation, they cannot be considered lone wolves in the context of widespread hostility and increasing attacks on Jewish Australians.