Coalition says antisemitism royal commission should be extended to demand answers from PM, Wong, others

The Coalition has called on the Albanese government to extend the deadline for the Bondi royal commission beyond the one-year anniversary, demanding that government ministers, muslim clerics and high-profile figures from the arts be called before the inquiry to account for rising antisemitism.

As the commission’s final day of hearings approaches, Liberal MP Julian Leeser told parliament on Tuesday that the commission had been unable to do its job properly without government ministers appearing, such as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, the attorney-general and the ministers for education, home affairs and foreign affairs.

He also said there were more questions to ask of leaders of arts institutions, universities, protest movements and the human rights commission – some of whom have already appeared – as well as people such as former Coalition treasurer Josh Frydenberg, who was told he would not be called.

“This week is the final sitting week of the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion,” Leeser said during a suspension of standing orders early Tuesday afternoon.

“The royal commission is, for many Australians, the only chance we will have as a nation to properly expose and address the antisemitism that has become so prevalent in this country and which diminishes us all.

“But it is a royal commission that finishes in a matter of days, and as it stands, it is a royal commission with unfinished business. The window to debate the issue is closing.”

Leeser, a Jewish MP from north-west Sydney, has been vociferous in his condemnation of the Albanese government over its handling of antisemitism in the community since the Hamas attacks spurred Israel’s war on Gaza in 2023.

Naveed Akram and his father, Sajid, are accused of carrying out the December 14 Bondi Beach attack that claimed 15 innocent lives after being radicalised by IS propaganda. The Albanese government announced the royal commission into the Bondi tragedy and antisemitism after considerable political and social pressure in the weeks after the attack.

Commissioner Virginia Bell was tasked with delivering a final report by December 14 this year. From the day it was announced, the reporting date was seen as a tight deadline.

The commission has held nine blocks of hearings since May, covering the nature of antisemitism, universities and their encampments, as well as a range of public services. Other sessions focused on the terrorism threat levels and security arrangements at the Bondi event, law enforcement coordination, and the safety of the Jewish community.

The commission has heard from Jewish Australians as well as ASIO director-general Mike Burgess, law enforcement, counter-terrorism experts, some high-level public servants, several university vice-chancellors and students.

But Leeser said it had not gone far enough. He named several people in the arts and cultural sector who should appear, including writers Clementine Ford and John Menadue, as well as the heads of Creative Australia.