The Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion has heard that 11 people were shot within 29 seconds of the start of the Bondi Beach terror attack on December 14, 2025. Ten of those shot died, and two gunmen were shot dead by police within seven minutes.
Counsel assisting Richard Lancaster SC told the commission the attack was a 'surprise attack', with no evidence that law enforcement or intelligence agencies had prior warning. Four NSW Police officers were at the scene when the shooting began, growing to 11 within five minutes. Three police officers were shot and injured.
The commission heard that officers were previously told by NSW Police they were not required to stay for the duration of the Chanukah by the Sea event. A senior CSG NSW officer could not confirm whether police were present for the entirety of Hanukkah events at the same location in 2023 and 2024.
ASIO director-general Mike Burgess defended counter-terrorism resourcing, stating that at no time were serious inquiries left uninvestigated. However, the commission's interim report found the share of counter-terrorism funding 'significantly declined' across intelligence agencies from 2020 to 2025, as priorities shifted to espionage and foreign interference.
The commission also heard that hate crime incidents against Jewish people in NSW rose from 40 in 2020 to 841 in 2025. AFP assistant commissioner Stephen Nutt expressed concerns that antisemitism could escalate to terrorist acts, noting increased antisemitic chants and displays of prohibited hate symbols after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.
