A landmark Australian royal commission investigating antisemitism has revealed that a Jewish security agency had warned authorities that the threat level was "high" in the days before the deadly Bondi Beach shooting last December.
The interim report, released Thursday by former High Court judge Virginia Bell, also issued 14 recommendations, including prioritizing gun reforms and extending police coverage of Jewish high holy days to other Jewish events.
On December 14, a father and son armed with rifles and shotguns attacked a Hanukkah celebration at a Bondi Beach park, killing 15 people. Sajid Akram, 50, was fatally shot by police at the scene, while his son Naveed Akram, 24, was critically injured and later charged with 59 offenses, including 15 counts of murder and one count of committing a terrorist attack.
According to the report, an email sent by the Community Security Group NSW (CSG NSW) to New South Wales Police on December 8 noted that the security alert level for the Jewish community was "HIGH. A terrorist attack against the NSW Jewish Community is likely and there is a high level of antisemitic vilification."
While NSW Police acknowledged a request for police presence at Jewish events, they stated they had not received a specific request for dedicated resources at the Hanukkah event. The report noted that differences between the accounts of NSW Police and CSG could not be resolved with available information.
The report recommended that state and federal governments prioritize nationally consistent firearms reforms and a proposed gun buyback scheme. It also urged NSW Police to extend security procedures used during high holy days to other high-risk Jewish festivals, particularly public-facing ones.
Other recommendations included a review of joint counter-terrorism teams and making the counter-terrorism commissioner's role full-time. Five recommendations were withheld due to national security concerns.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the report showed no urgent legislative gaps but acknowledged that governments could always improve. Local rabbi Yossi Friedman told the BBC that many in the Jewish community still fear a repeat attack. David Ossip of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies called the report "an important first step," while Alex Ryvchin of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry stressed there are still unanswered questions about how the attackers obtained firearms and why police resources were insufficient.
Public hearings for the inquiry begin Monday, with a final report due on the anniversary of the shooting.