Bondi royal commission: report calls for better policing of Jewish festivals after ‘high’ terror risk flagged for Hanukah event | Royal commission on antisemitism and social cohesion

Sydney’s Jewish community notified police of a “high” threat of attack at the Chanukah by the Sea festival at Bondi Beach in December, but New South Wales police appeared not to have completed a comprehensive risk assessment of the incident, according to an interim report from the royal commission.

The interim report of the royal commission on antisemitism and social cohesion, established after the terrorist attack in December, did not find any gaps in existing laws that could have prevented the armed attack. But there have been calls for greater coordination of policing at Jewish festivals and events.

Among the 14 recommendations outlined in the report, the royal commission said the federal government’s counter-terrorism co-ordinator should be a full-time position; The Commonwealth and states should finalize nationally consistent gun legislation and prioritize the proposed Port Arthur-style gun buyback; and a review of joint counter-terrorism teams in Australia. Five recommendations remained confidential.

The report, delivered by Commissioner Virginia Bell on Thursday, also warned that the current war waged by the US and Israel against Iran “will likely increase the risk of attack on the Australian Jewish community”.

The commission was established in December following the Bondi massacre, in which two gunmen allegedly inspired by the Islamic State shot dead 15 people and injured 40 others as they attended a beachside Hanukkah event for the Jewish community.

Its report said Community Security Group (CSG) NSW, a Jewish community watchdog organisation, notified NSW police about the planned Hanukkah by the Sea event on November 28 and requested police assistance.

On December 8, CSG NSW sent another email to NSW police advising them about the event, along with 12 other upcoming Jewish community events in the eastern suburbs.

In the email, CSG said it was assessing the current “Safety Level Alert for the NSW Jewish community”. [as] HIGH”.

“A terrorist attack on the NSW Jewish Community is likely and there is a high level of anti-Semitic slurs,” CSG said in the email detailed in the report.

The report found that decisions about how to allocate resources to such events were “determined through a risk assessment process,” but police did not appear to have completed a comprehensive risk assessment for Hanukkah by the Sea.

“There has been no written risk assessment undertaken by NSW Police for Hanukkah by the Sea 2025,” the report said.

The report said the NSW police response to the attack was included in a confidential interim report due to the ongoing criminal investigation into the alleged attacker, Naveed Akram.

“This section should be made public following the conclusion of any criminal case arising from the attack,” the report said.

However, the report revealed that there is no gap in existing laws that could prevent the detection of a terrorist attack in advance.

“We have not identified any material or advice from any agency within existing legal and regulatory frameworks that would impede the ability of law enforcement, border control, immigration and security agencies to prevent or respond to an attack of the type that occurred in Bondi on 14 December 2025,” the report said.

“No Commonwealth or state intelligence or law enforcement agency has suggested that it was precluded from taking prohibitory actions before or on 14 December 2025 by the then existing legal and authorization framework.

“No problems have been identified in these respects that require immediate or urgent intervention.”

But the commission said it had received a “significant amount of material” that “reveals aspects in which counter-terrorism capacity at Commonwealth and state levels could be improved”.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government would implement all relevant recommendations.

“I can confirm that the national security committee met this morning and that we have accepted and will implement all the Commonwealth-related recommendations in the interim report,” Albanese said. he said.

‘No conclusions’ about the effectiveness of institutions before the attack

The interim report stated that the commission had not yet reached any conclusions about intelligence errors or police use of resources before the attack.

“While this interim report will consider systemic aspects of the effectiveness of Commonwealth and state intelligence and law enforcement, significant issues arising from the Bondi attack will be addressed at the hearings, including whether there were any failures to identify and act on intelligence in preparation for this or to allocate police resources to the Chanukah incident,” the report said.

“No conclusions can be drawn in these respects by examining the institutions’ documents alone and in the absence of appropriate procedural fairness to any person or institution at risk of an adverse finding.”

The report states that since October 7, 2023, “an increase in the occurrence and reporting of anti-Semitic incidents has led to a significant increase in contact between relevant NSW Police Commands and Jewish security organization Community Security Group NSW.”

Bell’s report also recommended a review of the Australia-New Zealand Counter-Terrorism Committee’s joint counter-terrorism teams, made up of state and federal police along with Asio. This review should examine information sharing arrangements between agencies, “with a particular focus on the Joint Counter Terrorism Team-NSW.”

Bell also recommended that the federal government’s counterterrorism coordinator should be a full-time position. The coordinator has also been working as the coordinator of combating external interventions since 2022. The man in the roles, Hamish Hansford, is also the head of national security at the Home Office.

These additional responsibilities “take up significant time, even if at times other work intersects with counterterrorism work,” the report argued.

“There may be a logical reason for the counter-terrorism co-ordinator to have responsibilities against external interference… but in light of the terrorist attack in Bondi and given the importance of the co-ordination work and convening role of the counter-terrorism co-ordinator, consideration should be given to taking on this role on a full-time basis.”

Bell’s report also recommended that ministers should be better prepared to respond to emerging terrorism crises.

“The Australian Government should consider whether National Security Committee ministers, including the Prime Minister, should participate in a counter-terrorism exercise with all National Cabinet members within nine months of each federal election.”

Questions regarding the national firearms registry

In his report, Bell questioned whether efforts to create a national firearms register were “excessively slow” in the wake of the Wieambilla attacks, which accelerated in the wake of the Bondi tragedy.

The report noted that the national cabinet agreed to have the registry fully operational within four years in late 2023, but the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (Acic) informed the commission that states and territories were working on deadlines extending to mid-2028.

“There is an issue as to whether this timetable is too late for the systemic improvement that the National Cabinet has requested to be expedited,” the report said.

Bell was appointed to lead the royal commission following the Bondi terror attack, and the commission’s interim report focused heavily on intelligence and law enforcement.

The report, released ahead of public hearings next week, was based on information submitted to the commission, through notices and special meetings.

The first block of public hearings is scheduled to begin on Monday and will focus on experiences of antisemitism.

Naveed Akram, 24, faces 15 murder and 40 attempted murder charges in connection with the attack. His father Sajid, 50, was shot dead by the police.