Opinion: Be careful what you wish for

Well that went well didn’t it? Following a major terrorist attack there was an appropriate response, a shining moment of the Jewish community largely rising above and taking the high road, encouraging goodness and strength in community, NSW Government takes responsibility and vows to investigate.

But then, a bunch of small minded (and small other things) Liberals who wanted to seize the momentum and are oppositioning Tony Abbott style simply had to jump up and down about getting a Commonwealth Royal Commission instead of a NSW one. Anything to take a tragedy and turn it in to a moment to score political points, while the dead were still being buried.

They manipulated grieving families into signing on to their confected outrage. Told them that this is what was needed, appropriate, what they should demand.

So now, the NSW Royal Commission into the terrorist attack at Chanukah celebrations at Bondi Beach is cancelled. And in it’s place we get a Commonwealth Royal Commission into ‘social cohesion’.

Here’s the Commonwealth RC terms of reference:

• Tackling antisemitism by investigating the nature and prevalence of antisemitism in institutions and society, and its key drivers in Australia, including ideologically and religiously motivated extremism and radicalisation.
• Making recommendations that will assist law enforcement, border control, immigration and security agencies to tackle antisemitism, including through improvements to guidance and training within law enforcement, border control, immigration, and security agencies to respond to antisemitic conduct.
• Examining the circumstances surrounding the antisemitic Bondi terrorist attack on 14 December 2025.
• Making any other recommendations arising out of the inquiry for strengthening social cohesion in Australia and countering the spread of ideologically and religiously motivated extremism in Australia.

Absolutely, Albanese should have immediately called a Royal Commission into what undoubtedly is one of this country’s greatest defence and intelligence failures. His delay in doing so is inexcusable.

But because of the politics of it, and media coverage that was an absolute balagan of tropes and drama, we now get a bullet point and swept under the table in a bigger debate. Just like the dead and injured Jewish heroes were largely ignored so the media could fawn over a not-Jewish guy that tackled a gunman, the aftermath, investigations and debate are furiously being made to focus on anything but Jews.

Yeah sure we’ll ‘investigate the nature and prevalence of antisemitism’ and ‘examine the circumstances’ of the terrorist attack, but this Royal Commission will not give the community the answers it seeks, nor are the recommendations sought in any way related to preventing the hate that has been so tragically laid bare. Read the terms of reference again – recommendations are only sought for advising law enforcement and security agencies on how to respond, and to improve social cohesion.

Language matters. It’s why I generally refer to it as the Chanukah Massacre, not ‘Bondi’. It happened on Chanukah, targeted at a Chanukah event. It didn’t happen in Bondi at all – Bondi Beach is a different suburb. Referring to it as ‘Bondi’ coupled with ‘tragedy’ or ‘event’ or any other term that strips away the violent terrorist element of it, is possibly the single greatest example of just how entrenched and widespread antisemitism is in this country. Anything we can to diminish the reality and dismiss the awfulness of it, and strip the Jewishness from it.

Albanese’s language in referring to a Royal Commission that was supposed to be about antisemitism and a single terrorist event as a Royal Commission about ‘social cohesion’ is possibly the second greatest example of how entrenched antisemitism is in this country. Make no mistake, the short term handle the Prime Minister is using will be the driver of the media narrative and political debate, and in just the blink of an eye all mention of antisemitism will be erased by debates about gun laws and this elusive concept of ‘social cohesion’. Again, anything to be able to talk about anything other than Jews being killed for being Jews.

The third example undoubtedly is the outrage about a known hate preacher that has called for the death of Jews more times than I can be bothered recounting was asked not to attend a writers festival. Boo hoo. She never should have been invited in the first place, but the is Australia, where it is completely acceptable to call for the death of Jews for being Jews and call it art or academia, just as it is completely acceptable to deny Jews the same rights to express themselves in art or academia, or to quote the so-called writer in question “Zionists have no right or expectation of cultural safety“.

Hate preachers are not just bearded guys in a makeshift mosque with a YouTube channel. They are everywhere in this country. They’re elected to parliament, host talk back radio programs, and pretend to be academics or writers. They profess their hate openly and without any repercussion, and when any attempt is made to say ‘that’s really not ok’, the broad response is to condemn and bully those who object to the hate, and the hater is praised for their efforts.

Australia has refused for literally decades to deal with its hate. It’s not like the level of hate is not a known problem in Australia – just ask Indigenous Australians, from the Deaths in Custody RC to the Voice referendum, it’s really well documented just how much Australians love to hate based on ethnicity or identity.

And because of small minded petty hate on the political stage, we won’t be dealing with it in this Royal Commission either. We’ll only be making it worse, giving people a platform to talk about how much they hate immigrants or anyone who is different, and an excuse to broadcast their preferred brand of hate for the next two years.

But that’s what you were wishing for, right?

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