Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks to the media at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia on January 8, 2026.
| Photo Credit: AP
Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a wide-ranging national inquiry into antisemitism, weeks after two gunmen opened fire on a Jewish holiday event at Bondi Beach, killing 15 people.
The investigation will be a royal commission, which is the most significant type of independent public inquiry that can be held in Australia. It will be led by former High Court Judge Virginia Bell, Mr. Albanese told reporters in Canberra on Thursday (January 8, 2026).
The inquiry will investigate the nature, prevalence and drivers of antisemitism generally, as well as the circumstances of the Bondi mass shooting, Mr. Albanese said. It will also make recommendations for law enforcement, strengthening social cohesion and countering the spread of extremism.
A report is due by December 14, which will be a year to the day since the shooting during a Hanukkah celebration at the Sydney landmark.
“This was an antisemitic terrorist attack, aimed at Jewish Australians, inspired by ISIS, the deadliest that has ever occurred on Australian soil,” said Mr. Albanese, referring to the Islamic State group. The surviving suspect, Naveed Akram, 24, faces dozens of criminal charges, including murder and terrorism.
He has not yet to entered a plea. His father, Sajid Akram, was shot dead by police during the episode.
The announcement followed weeks of urging, which has grown in volume, from lawmakers across the political spectrum, some Jewish leaders and other public figures such as prominent sportspeople for a national royal commission to be convened, instead of a statewide inquiry in New South Wales, where the shooting happened. Mr. Albanese at first suggested such a wide-ranging inquiry might take too long, but rejected the suggestion on Thursday (January 8) that he had been pressured to change his mind.
“I have listened,” he said. “In a democracy, that’s a good thing.” Mr. Albanese had already launched an investigation into Australia’s security and law enforcement agencies following the shooting, which he said would become part of the royal commission. He also plans to enact a legislative agenda in response to the attack that includes tightening Australia’s already stringent gun laws and criminalising the words of so-called hate preachers, which his government has said frequently fall below the bar for prosecution.
Published – January 08, 2026 01:23 pm IST
