Police queried over security concerns

NSW Police acting deputy commissioner Peter McKenna told the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion on Tuesday that Australia had entered a fundamentally changed security environment for the Jewish community following the December 14, 2025 Bondi Beach terrorist attack in which 15 people were killed.

“Australia has, unfortunately, now moved to other Jewish communities around the world who have been living at threat of real and tangible terrorist attacks. We’ve now joined them,” McKenna said.

Before proceedings began, commissioner Virginia Bell condemned the harassment of witnesses, noting one matter had been referred to the Australian Federal Police for investigation.

“The commission is keeping a close eye on these instances and recording these offensive social media posts. Quite what this undiluted level of hatred and bigotry directed towards members of the Jewish community is thought to benefit by those who post these remarks is lost on me,” Bell said.

The Eastern Suburbs PAC superintendent commander, identified only as ABQ, was questioned at length by counsel assisting Richard Lancaster SC about a November 28 email from the Community Security Group (CSG) flagging “heightened risk” and requesting assistance, and a December 8 email making a specific request for police deployment for the entirety of the Chanukah by the Sea event. ABQ told the commission she had read only “part” of the December 8 email.

She was also taken to two ASIO documents, including a December 2025 threat assessment describing the national terrorism threat level as “probable” over the holiday period, and an October 2025 document titled “Manchester Synagogue Terrorist Attack Highlights Enduring Threat to Jewish Interests.” Of the latter, ABQ said, “Whilst I don’t particularly recall at the time reading the document, I was certainly very aware of the incident and its implications.”

Lancaster pressed ABQ on whether the Bondi event had been appropriately categorised within the police escalation framework, noting ASIO had assessed the terrorism threat to crowded places over the holiday period as “probable” and that the event had attracted approximately 1000 people. ABQ acknowledged she had not given conscious thought to whether a higher tier was appropriate, saying: “We don’t really talk in tiers.”

Asked in hindsight whether the tier one categorisation was a mistake, she said, “No, I don’t accept that it was a mistake, but in hindsight, knowing what I now know, absolutely events of this nature should be dealt with, similar to Jewish High Holy Days.”

McKenna, giving evidence separately, confirmed no documented risk assessment had been produced for the Chanukah events, acknowledging the absence of standardised procedures left “quite a large area of discretion to the particular operations inspector”. NSW Police assistant commissioner Scott Cook told the commission police had only one consultation with ASIO, a video conference on August 1, 2024, before the national terrorism threat level was raised from “possible” to “probable” on August 5, 2024, with no subsequent briefing. Asked whether NSW Police had sought further meetings after the change, Cook said, “Not that I’m aware of.”

Cook also gave evidence on the emergency response to the attack. Four general duties officers from the Eastern Suburbs PAC were present when the shooting began. Within 29 seconds, 11 people had been shot, 10 fatally. One shooter was fatally shot within four minutes and 55 seconds; the second was shot and apprehended at seven minutes and 41 seconds. Three police officers were injured.

McKenna confirmed that deploying officers with long arms prior to December 14 had required approval at deputy commissioner level, and that such approval was, in his assessment, “very unlikely” to have been granted. Since the attack, long arms have been approved for some major events, and NSW Police is establishing a 250-person Armed Response Command that will eventually replace Operation Shelter, with all officers carrying long arms.

McKenna confirmed Chanukah will in future be managed as a tier three major event, consistent with the model used for Jewish High Holy Days since approximately 2015. “We will move to the same model that we use for the High Holy Days,” he said. “But once again, I’m not saying that’s necessarily about the threat to the community, I’m saying that it is as much about reassurance to that community as anything else.”

Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion: Hearing Block 2, day one

Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion: Hearing Block 2, day two

Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion: Hearing Block 2, day 3