Government appoints full-time counter-terrorism coordinator
The government’s response was tabled in parliament on Tuesday, five months after the December 14, 2025 Bondi Beach terrorist attack that killed 15 people
The federal government has officially accepted all public recommendations relevant to the Commonwealth in the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion’s interim report, announcing immediate implementation of several key measures.
The government’s response was tabled in parliament on Tuesday, five months after the December 14, 2025 Bondi Beach terrorist attack that killed 15 people.
“The attack at Bondi was an antisemitic terrorist attack on people practicing their faith and sharing their traditions. It was an attack on Australia,” Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke and Attorney-General Michelle Rowland wrote in the foreword of their report.
The government has immediately appointed Brendan Dowling as Australia’s first dedicated, full-time Counter-Terrorism Coordinator, implementing the Royal Commission’s second recommendation.
Dowling, who has more than 20 years’ experience in national security roles, will provide national leadership and coordination on counter-terrorism matters, working across federal, state and territory agencies.
He most recently served as Deputy Secretary for Critical Infrastructure and Protective Security in the Department of Home Affairs and previously served as Australia’s Ambassador for Cyber Affairs and Critical Technology.
The interim report made 14 recommendations, with some contained in a confidential report and addressed through a classified government response.
Key accepted recommendations include establishing clearer national crisis coordination arrangements, updating the Counter-Terrorism Handbook at least every three years, and providing annual ANZCTC briefings to National Cabinet.
The government will work with states and territories to formalise arrangements for a limited-attendance National Coordination Mechanism that can be convened rapidly at a classified level during terrorist incidents.
The response also commits to prioritising a renegotiated National Firearms Agreement and implementing the National Gun Buyback Scheme, with a new Firearms Taskforce established in the Department of Home Affairs to drive these efforts.
The government noted the interim report found existing legal and regulatory frameworks did not hinder agencies in preventing or responding to the Bondi attack, and that no urgent legislative changes were required to keep Australians safe.
However, the Royal Commission emphasised the need to strengthen prevention, detection and responses to antisemitism.
“The purpose of the interim report is to allow us to begin work on these recommendations without needing to wait until the end of the Royal Commission process,” Burke and Rowland wrote.
The government has already taken significant action since the attack, including funding additional security at Jewish schools, synagogues and community centres, establishing prohibited hate group listing frameworks, and strengthening hate crime laws.
“Our commitment is clear. We will implement these recommendations, and continue the work of protecting an Australia where people can be and feel safe,” the ministers said.
The Royal Commission, led by former High Court Justice Virginia Bell, continues its work examining the circumstances of the Bondi attack and measures to strengthen social cohesion, with a final report expected in December 2026.