Royal commission announces new hearings dissecting deadly Bondi Beach terror attack
The Royal Commission into Anti-Semitism and Social Harmony has announced that the second block of hearings will begin in Sydney on Monday, May 25, 2026, and has not specified an end date.
The second block will focus on the circumstances surrounding the terrorist attack on December 14, 2025, when Naveed Akram and his father Sajid allegedly opened fire at the Chanukah By The Sea event, killing fifteen innocent people and injuring dozens.
The five key areas of focus for the second block include:
1. Terrorist threat level and security environment before the attack.
2. The behavior of security, intelligence, and law enforcement officials regarding the attack, including what is known about the attackers and what was done with that information.
3. Security arrangements for the Hanukkah by the Sea event.
4. How intelligence about individuals known to authorities is used and shared to inform decisions made by security, intelligence and law enforcement, including, for example, decisions about whether and how individuals are monitored and decisions regarding applications for firearms licences.
5. Resourcing to combat terrorism and the effectiveness of existing security, intelligence and law enforcement authorities, systems and processes.”
In the second block, a series of closed hearings are expected to be held where sensitive information in the evidence can be discussed.
The Royal Commission asked people who may have a “direct and significant interest in the hearing” to submit their applications before 16:00 on 15 May.
Public hearings began this week following the publication of Commissioner Virgina Bell’s interim report, which included 14 recommendations, all of which Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has promised to adopt.
The recommendations include calls to increase security during the Jewish High Holy Days and Jewish festivals and to improve counterterrorism cooperation between federal and state agencies.
The state of the country’s gun laws has also been put under the spotlight, with Ms Bell suggesting that efforts towards a national gun buyback plan and efforts to introduce an updated and more coherent national firearms agreement should be prioritized.
The Royal Commission was announced following the alleged terror attack at Bondi Beach on December 14, and Mr Albanese called it on January 8 after weeks of pressure.
The first hearing, now underway, will last another week, focusing on defining antisemitism, its prevalence in Australia, and how to assess its prevalence in society and institutions.
The commission’s final report is expected to be published in December, a year after the Bondi attack.
