Hearing Block 9, Sydney
The Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion will hold its ninth and final hearing block in Sydney from Monday 17 August 2026 to Friday 28 August 2026.
Scope
Hearing Block 9 will focus on strengthening social cohesion in Australia.
The Letters Patent establishing the Royal Commission define social cohesion as the national consensus in support of democracy, freedom and the rule of law and recognise that social cohesion provides the strongest defence against antisemitism and other forms of religious and ideologically motivated extremism.
Hearing Block 9 will hear from a number of witnesses about:
- How social cohesion can be understood and measured.
- Social cohesion and the human rights framework.
- Initiatives and programs undertaken by various communities, religious groups and organisations across Australia that seek to strengthen social cohesion.
- Social cohesion in the education sector.
- Government activities to promote social cohesion.
Location
Hearing Block 9 will be held in Sydney at 83 Clarence Street, Sydney. There is limited public seating at the venue.
Members of the public can view the livestream of the public hearings on the Royal Commission's website.
Applications for leave to appear
The Royal Commission invites persons who consider they have a direct and substantial interest in the scope of this hearing block to make an application for leave to appear by no later than 4:00pm (AEST) on Tuesday 11 August 2026.
An application for leave to appear is not how witnesses are selected. For more information, please refer to Witnesses at Royal Commission.