The Jewish Council of Australia (JCA) has welcomed the interim report of the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion, handed down today by Commissioner Virginia Bell.
The Council is calling for the implementation of common sense recommendations to improve community safety, and for all state and territory governments to urgently agree to fast track Commonwealth-led gun control reform.
The interim report follows the Bondi Beach antisemitic terror attack on 14 December 2025, which killed 15 people and injured 40 others. Our thoughts are with the victims of the attack and their families and loved ones. Today will be a particularly painful day for them.
The report found that although concerns were raised about the threat risk to the Chanukah by the Sea festival, New South Wales Police did not appear to complete a comprehensive written risk assessment for the event.
The report did not recommend any immediate changes to legal and regulatory frameworks related to security agencies and their ability to prevent or respond to the attack.
Bart Shteinman, Executive Officer of the Jewish Council of Australia, provided the following statement:
“Even if no overarching security reforms are proposed, this report confirms that there were clear warnings regarding the safety of the Bondi event that were not met with an adequate police risk assessment.
“We welcome the common sense recommendation that the security procedures used during Jewish High Holy Days should now be applied to other high-risk, public-facing festivals.
The report contains 14 recommendations, including the prioritisation of a nationally consistent National Firearms Agreement and a post-Port Arthur style gun buyback scheme. While the Federal Government has committed to implementing the recommendations, the JCA notes that many states and territories have not signed up to critical measures recommended in the Interim Report.
“We support the urgent implementation of further firearms control and call on all states and territories to respond promptly to the report. Four months have passed since the worst mass shooting in modern Australian history, and it is unconscionable that several state & territory governments have gone silent or are even opposing vital measures to keep all communities safe”, said Shteinman.
“We saw in the days after the Bondi mass shooting a host of right-wing voices from Andrew Hastie to the Murdoch media call gun reform a ‘deflection’. We saw divisive rhetoric that pitted Jews against the Muslim and Palestinian community, and a crucial opportunity for unity was lost.
“This interim report is a crucial second chance to get momentum behind gun reform. Governments that have slow-walked gun reform, or flat out opposed buy-backs like the Queensland government, must get on with the program.
“For a gun buyback to be effective, every state and territory must sign up without further delay. The report suggests the current timetable for a national firearms registry is insufficient, and we agree that this must be accelerated to protect all Australians.”
The report noted that Gaza and the current war involving the US, Israel, Iran and Lebanon has likely increased the risk of attacks directed at the Australian Jewish community.
The JCA maintains that Jewish safety, as is the case for every community, is best advanced through evidence-based responses to antiracism that foster genuine social cohesion. It will continue to participate in the Royal Commission process and urges all supporters to continue to make submissions to further advocate for these principles.
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