Interim Report

On 30 April 2026, Commissioner Virginia Bell AC SC presented the Governor-General, Her Excellency the Honourable Sam Mostyn AC, the Interim Report of the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion. The Interim Report was tabled in the Australian Parliament on 30 April 2026.

The Interim Report examines the circumstances surrounding the antisemitic Bondi terrorist attack on 14 December 2025 Term of Reference (c) of the Letters Patent.

The complete version of the Interim Report will be provided on a confidential basis to the Australian Government and state governments (the confidential report). An edited version is publicly available. Parts of every chapter are contained only in the confidential report as they refer to information that cannot be disclosed publicly, for reasons that include national security and the need to avoid prejudice to current criminal proceedings.

The Interim Report contains 14 recommendations.

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The Royal Commission acknowledges that that report discusses some difficult themes, including details of the Bondi attack on 14 December 2025. Support services are available if you or someone you know needs help.

If you require urgent or immediate help, please call Triple zero (000) or present to your local emergency department.

List of recommendations

The procedures adopted by NSW Police in respect of Operation Jewish High Holy Days should apply to other high risk Jewish festivals and events, particularly those that have a public facing element.

Having regard to the significance of the role of the Commonwealth Counter Terrorism Coordinator in providing counter terrorism leadership, the Commission recommends consideration be given to making the Counter-Terrorism Coordinator’s role full-time.

If the Australia-New Zealand Counter-Terrorism Committee (ANZCTC) is to be used again as a crisis committee, the ANZCTC should be included in the Australian Government Crisis Management Framework so its role is clear.

The Counter-Terrorism Handbook should be updated promptly and then at least every three years in coordination with updates to the Counter-Terrorism Plan and the ANZCTC triennial review.

The ANZCTC should provide direct advice in the form of a written and/or oral briefing, at least annually, to National Cabinet (including, as appropriate, advice on ANZCTC activities, the use of the ANZCTC Special Fund, and national counter-terrorism challenges and priorities).

The ANZCTC should commission a review of the Joint Counter-Terrorism Teams, with a report to be submitted to Police Commissioners and the Director-General of Security within three months of commencement. The review should include consideration of leadership structures, team integration, systems access and information sharing arrangements. The review should place particular focus on the Joint Counter Terrorism Team-NSW, elements of which should be for reporting specifically to the NSW Police Commissioner, the AFP Commissioner and the Director-General of Security.

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

This recommendation is contained in the confidential Interim Report.

The Commonwealth and states and territories should prioritise efforts to finalise and implement an updated and nationally consistent National Firearms Agreement.

The Commonwealth, states and territories should prioritise efforts to implement the proposed National Gun Buyback Scheme.

Correction

An error has been identified in the name of a support organisation that was listed in the introductory section of the Interim Report. This has been corrected in the online version.