Royal Commission rushed as time runs out
With a week of hearings left, the Royal Commission has only scratched the surface of the antisemitism crisis.
There is only a week left of hearings before the Royal Commission adjourns, with Commissioner Virginia Bell’s report due in December.
And it is becoming clear that – notwithstanding the excellent dedication and professionalism of Bell and her team – due to its rushed timing the Royal Commission has only just begun to scratch the surface.
To be sure, it has done mostly excellent work in giving a voice to Jewish Australians who have experienced antisemitism. But it has breezed its way through too many topics. Campuses needed more than six days and more universities probed. Academics and student councillors should have been called.
One day on protests – in which only two demonstrations were examined against the hundreds that have taken place since October 7, 2023 – was critically inadequate.
And, while we respect procedural fairness, groups such as the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network and Palestine Action Group should have been made to answer many more questions than they were given leave to ask.
Much has been also written about experts such as Josh Frydenberg being overlooked.
While the federal government itself, which kept dismissing the seriousness of the problem until 15 dead forced its reckoning, has escaped scrutiny entirely. It is disappointing that that same government will not even consider extending the Royal Commission’s timeframe.
In parallel, many of the drivers of antisemitism the inquiry has examined continue to fester. A case in point is in the media. Truly getting to the bottom of its role in contributing to the issue could have taken months.
In the meantime, Australia’s taxpayer-funded broadcaster just brazenly gave a platform to a man who has repeatedly promoted antisemitic and pro-terrorist rhetoric. The Royal Commission should have had the time to call in the appropriate people and give the ABC a taste of something arguably unfamiliar to it – accountability.
Instead, we can only hope that with its limited time and investigative scope the inquiry is able to produce some concrete recommendations that make a degree of difference.
And more so, that the very bodies that have managed to escape rigorous scrutiny, somehow suddenly become serious about implementing them.