Jewish community leadership demands royal commission in joint statements

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Australian Jewish national and communal organisations have called on the Government to urgently establish a Commonwealth Royal Commission into antisemitism.

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry, NSW Jewish Board of Deputies and Jewish roof organisations in each state and territory issued a statement on Tuesday calling for a federal royal commission into antisemitism, saying it is time for the government “to listen to the people”.

The joint statement, released on Tuesday, said antisemitic incidents had increased exponentially from pre-October 7, 2023 levels and had become increasingly violent, culminating in the Bondi Beach attack.

“Over the last two years, we have issued repeated warnings to government about increasing Jew hatred in this country, and the social permissiveness that has been allowed to grow resulting in further attacks,” the statement said.

“It is critical that government and society understand the sources of antisemitism especially in the last two years, and how Australia arrived at its present position where hatred of one ethnic and religious minority has become so extraordinarily rampant. Only a Federal Royal Commission encompassing the nation as a whole, would provide that process.”

The organisations said they had watched with increasing dismay as the federal government resisted calls from all sectors of society for a federal royal commission.

“We believe that as many have already noted, the arguments against such a Royal Commission not only are unconvincing and misconceived, but perhaps more importantly deny the urgent need to tackle the evil of antisemitism in the interests of unity and social cohesion in Australia,” the statement said.

“We have been heartened by the outpouring of support from the Australian public and the calls from so many sectors of society, for a Federal Royal Commission. Australians are demanding accountability and healing. It is time for the Federal Government to listen to the people.”

The statement was signed by ECAJ president Daniel Aghion, NSW Jewish Board of Deputies president David Ossip, ACT Jewish Community president Athol Morris, Jewish Community Council of Victoria president Philip Zajac, Jewish Community Council of South Australia president Annetay Henderson-Sapir, Jewish Community Council of Western Australia president Michael Levitt, Northern Territory Jewish Community Association president Vida Goodvach and Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies president Jason Steinberg.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday continued to reject calls for a federal royal commission, saying experts had advised against it.

“I recognise that many of the calls for a Royal Commission come from a good place. This atrocity is something which, understandably, people want answers on how it occurred. I want answers too, and I want justice done,” Albanese said.

“But our position is not out of convenience, it is out of conviction that this is the right direction to go in. And the actual experts, who are the current experts, have all recommended this course of action.”

When asked to clarify if the heads of national security agencies and law enforcement had advised against a royal commission, Albanese said: “We have a National Security Committee and we receive advice from all of those bodies as part of that process.”

On Wednesday, more national and communal Jewish organisations issued a joint statement calling on the Prime Minister “to reconsider and exercise national leadership by establishing a Commonwealth Royal Commission into Antisemitism.”

The joint statement was signed by 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.

The statement reads, “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.”

The statement continues,”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.”

The statement concludes, “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.”

Opposition leader Sussan Ley accused Albanese of shouting at Australians and disrespecting victims’ families.

“Today, the Prime Minister was shouting at Australians, not listening to the victims’ families and to others who are asking for this Commonwealth Royal Commission,” Ley said.

“The Prime Minister is making excuses. He’s not listening. He’s still not listening. Days after victims’ families have appealed to him, have cried to him. And I have said, look past the jeers on the night of the Bondi vigil, Prime Minister, and hear those cries.”

Ley said if Albanese had experts who advised against a royal commission, he needed to provide that advice.

“The experts that we are listening to are those eminent Australians, but also, most particularly, the victims’ families, who deeply understand the tragic circumstances of antisemitism for themselves, for their community, and for the wider Australian Jewish community,” she said.

“He clearly does not understand what they have been experiencing and what their genuine anxieties are for the future. We have a Prime Minister who says it’s not deserving of a Commonwealth Royal Commission. Ordinary Australians in their millions are asking, ‘Why on earth not?’”

Those calling for a federal royal commission include 17 families representing 11 Bondi victims, former governor-general Peter Cosgrove, former AFP commissioner Mick Keelty, former Australian Secret Intelligence Service chief and former Defence Department secretary Nick Warner and former Department of Home Affairs secretary Mike Pezzullo.

They have been echoed by former deputy Liberal leader and treasurer Josh Frydenberg, shadow education minister Julian Leeser, former foreign minister Julie Bishop, Labor backbenchers Mike Freelander and Ed Husic, former Queensland Labor premier Peter Beattie, former Labor defence materiel minister and Labor Israel Action Committee president Mike Kelly, and former Labor senator and Olympian Nova Peris.

A number of former Federal and High Court judges have also joined the call, in addition to 100 top silks, and the Hindu Council of Australia.

Former Labor minister Kelly, writing in The Australian and The AJN, said the arguments against establishing a royal commission were both politically damaging and contrary to the national security interest.

“Our national security and the health of our democracy is at stake,” Kelly wrote, noting that a NSW inquiry would not have the legal authority to compel Commonwealth personnel or agencies to cooperate.

Indigenous Friends of Israel co-founders Norman and Barbara Miller said Albanese’s refusal to set up a royal commission was “scandalous and is adding fuel to the fire of a rage burning in Australia that could see the Prime Minister’s downfall”.

“We need to get to the root causes of antisemitism and how it was allowed to escalate to the massacre at Bondi. The government needs to face its inadequate response, indifference and its own role in fanning the flames that led to Bondi. Albo’s don’t blame me won’t cut it either,” the Millers said.

“PM Albanese’s excuse for not holding a Royal Commission shows he is fearful of the outcome. The truth needs to come out and the Jewish community have said they need it to feel safe.”

Never Again is Now has launched a campaign calling for a royal commission, including a petition and plans for Australia-wide marches in March.

Albanese said the Richardson Review would assess information sharing between federal and state agencies, legal frameworks and whether additional measures could have prevented the massacre, reporting in April.

The terms of reference for the review do not include the words “antisemitism”, “Jew”, “Jews” or “Jewish”.

The Bondi Beach terror attack on December 14 killed 15 people during a Chanukah celebration.