Bondi attack inquiry calls for greater security at Jewish events

An inquiry into the Bondi Beach shooting has called for increased security at Jewish public events and further gun reforms in Australia.

The Royal Commission, the nation's most powerful form of public inquiry, outlined 14 initial recommendations to help strengthen Australia's counter-terrorism capabilities following the attack at a Jewish Hanukkah celebration in December that left 15 people dead.

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony ​Albanese said his government would adopt all the recommendations made by the commission, five of which remain confidential due to national security concerns.

The 154-page interim report advised expanding security ​protocols currently adopted during the Jewish high holy days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur to other high-profile Jewish events.

Other recommendations included a comprehensive review of the country's counter-terrorism teams, involving senior government officials in counter-terrorism exercises, and accelerating efforts to implement a proposed national ⁠gun buyback plan.

The report, however, did not propose any urgent changes.

"This is as the government envisaged – that the first task of the Royal Commission, the priority, was to look at ​the security elements of these issues," Mr Albanese said.

Governments can 'do better'

The attack at the popular Sydney beach, allegedly perpetrated by a father and son, was the deadliest mass shooting in Australia for three decades and prompted widespread calls for enhanced measures against antisemitism and tighter firearm controls.

Mr Albanese, who faced pressure from Jewish advocacy groups and victims' families to launch the inquiry, said antisemitic incidents were happening "right around the world" and urged governments to "respond to it".

"I have said on multiple occasions governments could always do better, always do better. Social cohesion is important," he added.

A final report is due by the end of the year, while public hearings by the commission are scheduled to start next week.

Antisemitic attacks on the rise

Antisemitic attacks across the world have been on the rise since the start of the war in Gaza.

On Wednesday, two Jewish men were stabbed in the Golders Green area of London and were taken to hospital.

Follow Golders Green latest

It follows a spate of incidents in the UK over the last few weeks, with a number of synagogues and other Jewish landmarks the target of arson attacks.

Last year, two people were killed during an attack at a synagogue in Manchester, while, in Washington, two Israeli embassy workers were shot dead as they were leaving an event at a Jewish museum.

(c) Sky News 2026: Bondi attack inquiry calls for greater security at Jewish events