Waverley Greens made this submission to the 2026 Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion. The Commission has decided not to publish submissions on its website, so we have decided to make our submission available to interested readers here.
Waverley Greens is a branch of the Greens NSW political party that has coverage of the Waverley local government area, which includes Bondi Beach. We note the commission’s terms of reference, in particular (e) below, and thank the Commissioner for the opportunity to make submissions.
Executive Summary
We argue that the Royal Commission should consider not only the harms caused by antisemitism, but also the consequences of false or politically motivated allegations of antisemitism, which it described as a factor affecting social cohesion and public debate. These issues fall within the Commission’s broader remit to examine matters relevant to strengthening social cohesion.
Our central contention is that allegations of antisemitism have, in some instances, been “weaponised” against Greens members, councillors and supporters in Waverley since October 2023. It presents a series of case studies describing verbal abuse, intimidation, reputational damage, misinformation, harassment at council meetings and election polling places, interference with election campaigns, and confrontations at public events. These accounts are offered as evidence that false allegations can cause personal harm, undermine democratic participation and detract from efforts to address genuine antisemitism.
We conclude by recommending that the Royal Commission adopt a balanced approach that combats antisemitism while protecting freedom of expression and political advocacy. Key recommendations include consulting a broader diversity of Jewish organisations, implementing broader anti-racism measures, supporting a Human Rights Act, protecting free speech and peaceful assembly, strengthening regulation of online hate, ensuring that allegations of antisemitism are investigated through fair processes, avoiding the conflation of criticism of Israeli government policy or advocacy for Palestinians with antisemitism, and applying anti-discrimination protections consistently across all forms of racism and bigotry.
Royal Commission Terms of Reference
We […] appoint you to be a Commission of inquiry, and require and authorise you to inquire into the following matters:
- tackling antisemitism by:
- investigating the nature and prevalence of antisemitism in institutions and society, and examining its key drivers in Australia, including religious and ideologically motivated extremism and radicalisation, including in the lead up to the antisemitic Bondi terrorist attack on 14 December 2025;
- identifying any opportunities to enhance the responses of governments to antisemitism including, but not limited to, best practice approaches to de-radicalisation and strengthening social cohesion;
- making recommendations to counteract and prevent manifestations of antisemitism;
- assessing the impact of antisemitism on the daily life of Jewish Australians including with respect to security, physical and mental health and wellbeing;
- making any recommendations to assist law enforcement, border control, immigration and security agencies to tackle antisemitism, including by:
- improvements to guidance and training within law enforcement, border control, immigration, and security agencies to respond to antisemitic conduct;
- having regard to existing security arrangements for the Jewish community, improvement of protective security for Jewish places of worship, major sites, educational and cultural facilities, public events and community leaders;
- whether these authorities have sufficient powers and resources to respond to antisemitic conduct;
- examine the circumstances surrounding the antisemitic Bondi terrorist attack on 14 December 2025, including:
- lead up to and planning of the attack;
- the interaction and information sharing between Commonwealth agencies, between Commonwealth and State and Territory agencies, and between relevant Commonwealth and State agencies with the organisers of the Chanukah event at Bondi Beach on 14 December 2025;
- security arrangements for the Chanukah event and Bondi Beach on 14 December 2025;
- the attack;
- emergency response to the attack;
- whether relevant Commonwealth, State and Territory intelligence and law enforcement agencies performed to maximum effectiveness, including whether they had adequate powers and the right systems, processes and procedures, and whether there was an appropriate authorising environment for information sharing with other Commonwealth, State and Territory agencies;
- whether relevant Commonwealth, State and Territory intelligence and law enforcement agencies were prevented from taking prohibitive actions by the current legislative framework and authorising environment;
- identifying any gaps in existing legal and regulatory frameworks that impede the ability for law enforcement, border control, immigration and security agencies to prevent and respond to attacks of this nature at both the state and federal levels;
- identifying any lessons for security and law enforcement agencies to prevent and respond to similar attacks in the future;
- make any other recommendations arising out of your inquiry into the matters set out in paragraphs (a) to (c) that would contribute to strengthening social cohesion in Australia and countering the spread of ideologically and religiously motivated extremism in Australia;
- any matter reasonably incidental to a matter referred to in paragraphs (a) to (d) or that you believe is reasonably relevant to your inquiry.