WILL A ROYAL COMMISSION AND STRONGER LAWS BRING SOCIAL COHESION TO AUSTRALIA, SO RIVEN BY ANTI-SEMITISM?

Hatred

Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Hillel Newman writes that he has never seen such levels of hatred of Jews as he witnesses in Australia. He has served in two Muslim countries but did not see these levels of hatred there, but on the streets of Australia, he sees “pure anti-Semitic hatred”. The demonstration at the Sydney Opera House took place even before Israel’s incursion into Gaza. It was a “celebration” of the slaughter of 1,200 Israeli Jews. Even worse, there were thousands of protests around the planet and not only in Australia.

At an early stage of the Israeli military operation against Hamas, these same protesters were already making ridiculous claims of “genocide”. Genocide is the intention to exterminate a people. Countries committing genocide do not warn a civilian population to evacuate for their own safety nor do they bring in tons of food and aid, as Israel has done.[i]

A Fish Rots from the Head [A Proverb referring to Failures of Leadership]

Back in August 2025 Australia’s Labor government announced its decision to recognise a Palestinian state when Prime Minister Albanese said, “Our government has made it clear that there can be no role for the terrorists of Hamas in any future Palestinian state”. He claimed that Australia had received that commitment from the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. However, there is no sign of that commitment being honoured. Instead, Hamas remains armed and committed to the destruction of Israel.

To make matters worse, when Labor’s recent conference endorsed a two-state solution dropping its demands for Hamas to disarm and for the Palestinian Authority to reform, Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles acknowledged that Labor’s new policy platform was flawed. Marles nevertheless threw his weight behind the decision, claiming that this did not change the government’s position that Hamas must disarm and have no role in a Palestinian state – which Cloud Cuckoo Land was Australia’s Deputy Leader on?  Worse, Australia’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Penny Wong denied that the platform was watered down, arguing that “it still criticised Hamas”. In the end Albanese presided over a policy which is directly and explicitly critical of Israel. A pro-Israel Labor member remarked that the result “made it look like the party had embraced Hamas”.[ii] 

When New South Wales Premier Chris Minns attempted to protect the Jewish community, he was confronted by a revolt from his own Party members over plans to ban pro-Palestine chants. His government introduced laws banning protests in some areas for up to three months in the wake of the Bondi Beach attacks. Remarkably, those laws were later struck down by the NSW Court of Appeal.[iii]

Hospitals in Australia Are Not Spared                                                                       

A medical conference to deal with the latest techniques in treating gunshot wounds was abandoned when anti-Israel doctors threatened to picket the conference if Israel’s expert, Dr Elon Glassberg shared his country’s successful methods to reduce battlefield mortality from gunshot wounds. This kind of hostility is turning hospitals into war zones instead of safe spaces for patients.

This pattern continues across the country as hospitals tolerate conduct against Jews which would have triggered disciplinary action had it targeted any other minority group. The hospital oversight board has chosen to ignore complaints about numerous doctors who have posted anti-Semitic content.

A Jewish Melbourne pediatrician found Australia so toxic that she moved to Israel where she now works at the Sheba Medical Centre in Tel Aviv as part of a team of Jewish, Arab , Muslim,  Christian and Druze doctors and nurses treating children from all communities, including Gazan children who continue to be brought to Israel for treatment.[iv]

The Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion

The Australian Prime Minister rejected calls for a Commonwealth Royal Commission after the Bondi attack. He even argued that no such royal commission had been called following the Port Arthur massacre nor the Lindt siege. Instead, his pathetic response was to say, there is “No place in Australia for this kind of hatred and it has to stop”! That was the PM’s response even though the influence of groups such as Islamic State and Al Qaeda to ignite terror attacks has returned and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) chief, Burgess has said  that ASIO is facing a perfect storm of terror attacks. In stark contrast, NSW Premier Chris Minns provided an example of leadership when he announced that he would bring a State Royal Commission.[v]

Royal Commissioner Virginia Bell

Eventually, on 8 January 2026 the Labor government was persuaded to establish a “Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion”, and requested the former High Court Justice, The Honourable Virginia Bell AC to serve as Commissioner. The key issues before the Commission are: Tackling antisemitism; Making recommendations to assist law enforcement against antisemitism; The circumstances surrounding the Bondi terrorist attack; Recommendations for strengthening social cohesion in Australia. Commissioner Bell was requested to report before the end of 2026.

The Commission was to engage in successive public hearings, the first of which commenced on 4 May 2026 while the sixth hearing is due to run from 28 to 31 July 2026 when it is expected to consider how social cohesion can be enhanced.

The government had attempted to block Commissioner Bell from considering whether it had directed intelligence agencies to reduce counter-terrorism resources in the period prior to the Bondi massacre. However, the Commissioner’s interim report stated that the proportion of funding allocated to counter-terrorism had “significantly declined” from 2020 to 2025. The Commissioner decided that the “public interest” overruled cabinet confidentiality and she rejected the request to keep the evidence secret.[vi]

A Sample of the Evidence at the Royal Commission

Katherine Mannix, a former senior researcher for ABC TV submitted details of how the “ABC’s consistently biased reporting has caused anti-Semitism in Australia to grow”, explaining that by presenting Hamas’ case to the public, while seeking the appearance of objectivity, ABC reporters had contributed to an environment where Jews are portrayed not as the victims but as perpetrators and “genocidal murderers of children”. Mannix also said there was “No doubt that the ABC’s hate filled news coverage over the last two years gave significant assistance to the dreadful cause of Islamic extremism”.

Another submission to the Royal Commission asserts that across more than 1000 reports on the ABC and SBS, at least 97% were negative towards Israel. The harm caused is “Seen in Jewish children who hesitate to speak about Israel at school. It is seen in university students who hide their Zionism. It is seen in employees who keep silent after anti-Semitic incidents. It is seen in families deciding whether it is safe to attend public Jewish events and it is seen in the security arrangements now required around Jewish life”.

An ABC Alumni submission blames the Israelis for bringing this upon themselves and dismisses the gleeful celebrations in Australia after October 7 and the threatening chants against Jews at the Opera house as “a small minority” while arguing that it was Israel’s actions which brought an estimated 90,000 to the Harbour Bridge protest, while failing to mention the terrorist flags, hate preachers and chants of “Death to the IDF”.[vii]

A principal at an Australian Jewish school appeared before the Royal Commission outlining the hateful rhetoric at his school such as Nazi salutes, people yelling “F- - - the Jews” and Jewish children being spat on. Following his appearance at the Commission, he has been called a “paedophile, a monster, a supporter of baby killing, a warmonger, a Nazi, a normaliser of genocide, a child eater, an evil specimen” – much of it posted directly on the school’s Facebook page.[viii]

Defining Antisemitism

The definition taken from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), endorsed by federal and state governments and adopted by the Royal Commission, provides that “Anti-Semitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews”. Almost every nation in Europe has adopted this definition and in February 2025, following recommendations from Australia’s Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights, 39 universities represented by Universities Australia “unanimously endorsed” a definition of anti-Semitism which, while different, drew heavily on the IHRA definition.

However, the public broadcasters, ABC and SBS have declined to adopt that definition. Islamic and pro-Palestinian groups have also opposed the definition saying that it stifles free speech and legitimate criticism of Israel.[ix]

New Laws to Combat Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism

The conduct experienced in Australia is not much different from Nazi threats, the display of Nazi symbols, Nazi salutes or Nazi memorabilia. Australian and State laws do prohibit the public display of Nazi symbols, including performing the “Sieg Heil” gesture. Surely, the murder in December 2025 of 15 innocents for the “crime” of being Jews demanded immediate and effective legislation including severe penalties against such crimes.

Eventually, on 21 January 2026 it was announced that in response to the Bondi terrorist attack, the Albanese Government had passed legislation to combat anti-Semitism, hate and extremism. The government introduced the toughest federal hate crime laws in Australian history, described as Laws “Combating Anti-Semitism, Hate and Extremism”. These laws specifically target those who seek to spread hatred, radicalise our youth or disrupt social cohesion in Australia. This legislation also expands and strengthens Commonwealth criminal offences to address these issues through new and increased penalties and expanding prohibited hate symbol offences.

What is Social Cohesion?

“Social Cohesion” is said to refer to the bonds which bring people together, acting as “social glue”. It involves connections, trust and mutual respect and a collective commitment to the common good. Laws can mandate compliance and can ban hate speech. However, it seems most unlikely that even with the best will in the world, social cohesion can realistically be imposed, or that legislation can be expected to bring about or build social cohesion.

Conclusion

Commissioner Bell is making enormous efforts over an extended period to hear evidence and to investigate the issues which have caused so much difficulty in Australia. There is every reason to hope and expect that when she does report, the people of Australia can look forward to real and meaningful recommendations and change. If the government then takes meaningful steps to ensure that the new legislation to combat anti-Semitism, hate and extremism is vigorously and effectively applied then there may be some light at the end of the tunnel.

That will require real commitment, conviction and courage. If so, Australia could emerge as a beacon of hope.

AUDI ALTERAM PARTEM – HEAR THE OTHER SIDE

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[i] The Australian (AU), I have seen less Jew-hatred in Muslim countries – 9 July 2026

[ii] AU, Marles concedes flaws in Labor conference stance on Israel – 27 July 2026

[iii] AU, NSW Premier faces Party revolt over protest laws and slogan bans – 30 June 2026

[iv] AU, How did hospitals become the frontline in the anti-Semitic onslaught? – 28 June 2026 will call

[v] AU, Warring groups united by hatred of Jews, ASIO warns – 25 June 2026

[vi] Sydney Morning Herald, Government bid to hide counter-terror details from Commission -28 May 2026

[vii] The Australian, Damning evidence the ABC fanned the flames of hatred - 23 May 2026

[viii] Sydney Morning Herald, The commission heard testimony, then came the abuse – 26 May 2026

[ix] Sydney Morning Herald, the definition of anti-Semitism -19 May 26 and 15 July 25 will