Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion Hearing

Watch the hearing

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By Anton Rose

The Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion hearing today can be viewed on the official website.

A number of sessions are expected to be closed to the public due to ongoing criminal proceedings and matters of national security.

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24

Key Events

8

New South Wales

1

Victoria

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Next witness on the stand

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By Isabella Ross

NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Leanne McCusker is up next.

The royal commission is taking a brief pause for lunch, and McCusker will then give evidence.

AFP assistant commissioner's evidence wraps up

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By Isabella Ross

There are no further questions for Nutt at this stage, and he too is expected to given additional evidence behind closed doors.

December holiday period was of 'heighted risk'

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By Isabella Ross

Nutt says that by December 2025, the threat of antisemitism was particularly concerning.

An assessment at the time by ASIO, provided to the AFP, noted no specific, credible pending attack but noted the holiday period as being of "heightened risk".

"That was communicated amongst our staff in terms of increased vigilance," he said.

After the Bondi terror attack on December 14, the AFP's National Security Investigations teams were granted government funding to assist with increased capability.

Four additional NSI teams were established using the funding, Nutt says.

AFP was concerned antisemitism would turn to terrorist acts

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By Isabella Ross

Nutt is now reflecting on the instances of vandalism that occurred in Sydney, directed at the Jewish community, after October 7.

He says antisemitism became a "collective priority" of the wider police force.

"It's all part of potentially religiously motivated violent extremism, ideologically motivated violent extremism and also politically motivated violent extremism," Nutt said.

"There was absolutely a concern that the antisemitism could escalate to actual terrorist acts."

AFP boss recounts impact of Dural caravan incident

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By Isabella Ross

Nutt is speaking about the Dural caravan incident in January 2025.

The caravan was found packed with explosives and a note with antisemitic wording, which police have said was part of a "fabricated terrorist plot".

The AFP has said the incident had potential links to organised crime both in Australia and overseas.

He said while it was a hoax, it had a "chilling effect" on the Jewish community.

"Given the extent of media attention it got, it had the desired effect on the impact of the Jewish community and Australia at large," he said.

October 7 significantly impacted AFP operational priorities

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By Isabella Ross

Australian Federal Police Assistant Commissioner Stephen Nutt is giving evidence now.

He says prior to the Hamas attacks on Israel during October 7, 2023, antisemitism was not investigated by a specific AFP command or taskforce.

"It was such a significant event ... it impacted Australia-wide," he said.

"What we started to see was through protests and other activity, what has been described to me as that increase in the temperature in community.

"We saw an increase in antisemitism chants ... we also saw an increase in the open display of prohibited hate symbols."

Burgess wraps up

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By Isabella Ross

That's all from Burgess for now, with Lancaster saying he has no further questions today.

Burgess is expected to give further evidence in closed sessions.

Threat of online radicalisation

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By Isabella Ross

Burgess is speaking about the impact of online radicalisation, and the challenge for ASIO to address this counterterrorism threat.

"There are locations online which are hard to access, where people get caught on a certain ideology."

"We have agents using a persona, so another identity online, getting close to violent extremists."

He has pointed to the upcoming establishment of the Counter Terrorism Online Centre, which will allow ASIO and the AFP to identify, target and disrupt credible threats.

Government would help ASIO with resourcing if needed

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By Isabella Ross

Burgess says if ASIO needed further resources, the organisation would ask the government for assistance and be granted that assistance.

"I believe they [the public] can be assured that my agency puts its resources where it needs to," he said.

"If we have a resource issue, I will ask government and government will consider that through the budget process."

Burgess has pointed to a recent example where ASIO asked the federal government for financial assistance.

"As we've seen recently we had an ask of government to deal with the online radicalisation problem and the government had given us and the federal police investment to provide resources to address that growing threat."

Iran's role in antisemitic attacks in Australia

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By Anton Rose

Burgess is being quizzed on the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps' (IRGC) role in a series of antisemitic attacks.

You'll recall Burgess told the public in August 2025 Iran was behind two attacks on Jewish businesses in Melbourne and Sydney in 2024.

It led to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expelling Iranian ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi from the country over the claims.

"We were wondering, it's our job to understand what is that about? Was that just someone who was motivated by their own action or was there something else?" he said.

"And of course, we figured out that in those two cases, and we do believe there are more, we just can't quite get there in terms of our level of assessment.

"We mean they [the IRGC] use their network of proxies and agents to do their bidding, and that is to bring harm to Jewish people wherever they are in the world."

ASIO resourcing was 'sufficient'

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By Anton Rose

Burgess says ASIO's funding was sufficient to deal with threats to Australia at the time of the Bondi terror attack.

"In retrospect, I still think that our resourcing was sufficient for the problems we face," he said.

"Of course, we are stretched, and I do have a means by which I can ask for additional resources if we need to."

Antisemitism left 'unchecked', intelligence boss says

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By Anton Rose

Mike Burgess explains how the war in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas led to more incidents of antisemitism and why the national terrorism threat level was raised to "probable" in August 2024.

"But yes, there is no doubt that the war in the Middle East invoked a range of emotions in Australia."

"And actually those strong reactions and some of those violent aspects of that and those behaviors including antisemitism that, in our view, that were left unchecked, were therefore normalised and gave more permission for violence through 2023 and through [2024] to August when we raised it."

ASIO's contact with Jewish security group

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By Anton Rose

Burgess says since Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, ASIO officers had frequent contact with the Community Security Group (CSG), who provides security to the Jewish community.

"So even prior to October [2023] my officers had contact with the Community Security Group and that continued prior and afterwards,"

"And obviously the tempo of that increased after the 7th of October."

Burgess defends change in priorities

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By Anton Rose

Burgess is defending ASIO's change in priorities from counterterrorism to espionage in the years leading up to the 2025 Bondi attack.

In August 2024, the Australian Government raised the national terrorism threat level from ‘possible’ to ‘probable’.

The threat level had been sitting at ‘probable’ since November 2015, before being downgraded to ‘possible’ in 2022.

"At the same time, every rock we lifted up, we found espionage or foreign interference that need to be inquired and investigated."

"And so resources were moved over there. Of course, again, I reiterate that at no time do I believe we had any serious inquiries that was left uninquired or investigated.

"So yes, we were pivoting resources across because that's where the leads took us and where we were required to put effort."

Burgess explains the change in priorities at ASIO

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By Anton Rose

Mike Burgess is up.

The ASIO boss has been asked by Lancaster why foreign interference and espionage became the agency's focus prior to the Bondi terror attack.

"We saw the change in the security environment ... our assessment was that national terrorism threat level had lowered from probable to possible at the same time," Burgess said.

"And actually independent of that, because espionage and foreign terror and security threats are not connected to the terrorism threat, we had seen an increase in threats or activities relating to theft of information, espionage and/or foreign interference in our communities and the political system."

No intelligence pointing to Bondi attack, commission told

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By Anton Rose

Lancaster is now addressing a question many have had since the terror attack of December 2025.

"There is no evidence that any intelligence agency or law enforcement agency had any actual knowledge or specific information to suggest that there might be an armed attack on the Hanukkah celebration at Bondi on 14th December 2025," he said.

"In that sense, it was a surprise attack."

Police resourcing at Bondi to be examined

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By Anton Rose

Lancaster is now moving on to what NSW Police Assistiant Commissioner Leanne McCusker will tell the commission.

Of interest he says the Jewish public events in September and October 2025 were assessed as needing the "highest level" of resources, otherwise known as "tier three" events.

This would mean police would manage them in liason with the Counter-Terror and Special Tactics commands.

"By contrast, the Hanukkah events at Bondi and Dover Heights in 2025 were each regarded as tier one community events in which the management of the police resources was the responsibility of the local area command in this instance," Lancaster said.

What ASIO boss will tell the commission

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By Anton Rose

Lancaster is detailing what ASIO boss Mike Burgess will tell the commission today.

His evidence is likely to explain the changes in the national terrorism threat level and the agency's "pivot" to focus on foreign interference.

According to Lancaster, what the public won't hear in open hearings from Burgess this week is the following:

The assessment and description by ASIO of the threat of violent antisemitic attacks.

The adequacy of information sharing between ASIO and other agencies, including sharing by ASIO of information known to it and sharing by other agencies of new information that might come to light about persons who have previously come to the attention of ASIO.

The effectiveness of ASIO's investigations and analysis in the lead-up to December 14, 2025.

The changes in resourcing and intelligence agencies for counterterrorism over time.

These will be canvassed by Burgess later in the week during closed session.