The royal commission revealed the breadth of antisemitism in Australia – but key opportunities were missed | Michael Visontay

Key gatekeepers, and even the prime minister, should have faced more questions over what can be done to address rising hatred

F rom the moment the prime minister, Anthony Albanese , belatedly announced the royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion, he clearly wanted the inquiry to be short and tightly focussed. No detours.

By setting Commissioner Virginia Bell a deadline of December 14 – the anniversary of the Bondi massacre – to deliver her report, the PM signalled he had no appetite for surprises or delays.

He seems to have got his wish. The public hearings started in May and wrapped up this week, less than four months in total. Given that there were several intertwined agendas – the spread of antisemitism, a probe into the Bondi massacre, and the impact on social cohesion – it always felt like a race against time.

The commission’s signal achievement has been to hold a mirror to the broader Australian community about the breadth and intensity of hostility that has been directed at Jews since the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023 and the following war in Gaza.

The testimony of lived experience highlighted the extent to which intimidation and victimisation of Jews has permeated virtually every corner of life in this country, from children’s sporting fields to schools and universities, the public service, union movement, arts and entertainment, politics and even the healthcare system.

Much of it grew out of anger at Israel’s conduct of the war in Gaza, which does not excuse a single act. But Australian Jews cannot be held responsible for the actions of another government. The repeated rejection of this twisted logic at the hearings has been a crucial takeaway.

Another shocking byproduct was the hatred unleashed towards the witnesses who had been brave enough to step up, identify themselves and give testimony. Just three weeks in, Commissioner Bell said “we have received reports from a number of witnesses concerning a dramatic increase in online hate messages”. This outpouring reinforced the sense that Jews were still fair game.

We had already seen a man outside the commission building in Sydney, during the first week, wearing a T-shirt with a swastika around a Star of David and the words “Antisemitism. Proud to be accused” written on it. In the lead-up to the commission, Jewish communal leaders asserted that antisemitism was being expressed so openly that it had become normalised. The brazenness of the T-shirt incident made it all too clear.

As the hearings moved from individuals to public servants, heads of institutions and civil society organisations, there was a creeping sense that the commission missed a few opportunities to bare its teeth. Yes, the NSW police got a grilling about the Opera House demonstration and security stuff-ups ahead of Bondi, and university chiefs felt the blowtorch over their passivity around the student encampments.

But key gatekeepers of the arts and cultural sector were not called. Noticeably absent were the heads of Creative Australia.