MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australian officials launched a comprehensive federal investigation Tuesday examining the surge of antisemitic incidents nationwide following a December attack where two gunmen, reportedly motivated by the Islamic State, fatally shot 15 individuals during a Jewish community celebration in Sydney.
Last month, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese established Australia’s highest-level investigative body, called a royal commission, to examine the December 14 attack at Bondi Beach.
Police fatally shot suspected gunman Sajid Naveed during the incident. His son, Naveed Akram, now faces terrorism charges along with 15 murder counts and 40 attempted murder charges. Akram has not yet entered any plea.
Virginia Bell, the Royal Commissioner leading the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion, emphasized her intention to prevent the inquiry’s findings from affecting Akram’s upcoming criminal case.
“One might expect a royal commission set up to inquire into an attack would lead evidence of it and of the heroism of those who sort to confront the shooters and of those who ran toward the gunfire to offer medical assistance to the wounded,” Bell stated during her opening remarks.
“The trial of that individual (Akram) will be the occasion to lead evidence of the attack. This commission must do its work without risking any prejudice to that criminal proceeding,” she continued.
These royal commissions possess the authority to jail witnesses who decline to participate and frequently request deadline extensions as additional evidence emerges.
Bell serves as the single commissioner overseeing a team that includes legal counsel, analysts, researchers and administrative personnel, according to Richard Lancaster, the Senior Counsel Assisting the Royal Commission. Lancaster’s responsibilities include guiding the investigation’s focus, presenting evidence to Bell, and conducting witness examinations.
Bell stressed that finishing her report by the attack’s one-year anniversary represents a “matter of critical importance.”
“This imposes a tight time frame and it’s going to impose limitations on how the commission approaches its terms of reference,” the former high court justice explained.
Bell recognized that other religious and ethnic communities beyond Jewish Australians face discrimination throughout the country.
“I expect that social cohesion will be advanced by measures that address discrimination against religious faiths, ethnicities and cultures generally,” Bell remarked. “Nonetheless, against the background of the massacre of innocent people who appear to have been targeted simply because they were Jewish, I trust everyone will appreciate why the focus of this commission will be on tackling antisemitism.”
Bell must deliver a preliminary report before April’s conclusion. This initial assessment will review coordination and information exchange between federal and state authorities, plus organizers of the targeted Hanukkah event. She will evaluate security protocols and determine whether intelligence and law enforcement performed at peak efficiency.
The commission must pinpoint weaknesses in legal and regulatory structures that could hinder law enforcement, border security, immigration and intelligence agencies from preventing and responding to similar attacks.
Bell will develop recommendations to assist law enforcement, border control, immigration and security personnel in combating antisemitism through initiatives like specialized training programs. The commission will study antisemitism’s characteristics and prevalence within institutions and communities, including contributing factors like extremism and radicalization.
Bell and her team will also assess security measures at Jewish religious sites, educational institutions, cultural centers and public gatherings.
Commission personnel have already distributed numerous document requests to government departments, with additional notices forthcoming, Lancaster noted, though public hearing schedules remain undetermined.
Albanese initially opposed demands from victims’ relatives, Jewish community leaders and opposition politicians to create a royal commission, contending it would delay providing necessary answers.
He instead selected former government official Dennis Richardson to review intelligence, security and law enforcement agency roles, plus potential procedural and legal failures contributing to the shooting. Richardson’s inquiry was scheduled to conclude in April.
Richardson’s investigation has now merged with the royal commission, and he has joined Bell’s team as special adviser.
Incidents of antisemitic and Islamophobic conduct have risen significantly throughout Australia since the Israel-Hamas conflict commenced in 2023.
Jewish Australians comprise under 120,000 individuals within the nation’s 28 million residents, with 85% concentrated in Sydney and Melbourne.
During 2024, Australian officials designated a special representative to address increasing antisemitism nationwide. Several months afterward, the government similarly appointed a special representative to fight Islamophobia.
