The Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, and the Minister for Home Affairs have been accused of engaging in world-class gaslighting over their refusal to call a royal commission into anti-Semitism following the Bondi terrorist attack.
Political Deflection Over National Inquiry
During a news conference on Monday, December 31, 2025, the government leaders argued that a royal commission would platform anti-Semites and pro-Palestinian protesters by giving them a stand to justify their actions. This stance has been labelled as offensive and a desperate deflection by critics.
Mr Albanese's response in the aftermath of the worst terrorist attack on Australian soil, which claimed 15 lives including a 10-year-old girl at Bondi Beach, has been widely characterised as disappointing. The suggestion that an inquiry could retraumatise victims has been dismissed as risible, with many arguing that a transparent process would instead provide catharsis and accountability.
Labor's Cultural Problem and Electoral Calculations
Allegations of a cultural problem within the Australian Labor Party regarding Israel and Jewish people are gaining traction. Observers point to senior MPs, such as Tony Burke, whose electoral fortunes are seen as dependent on Muslim community votes, both for their parliamentary seats and in internal party ballots.
This political dynamic is leading to accusations that the government has much to hide. The decision to limit the existing Dennis Richardson inquiry to agency effectiveness and information sharing, explicitly excluding anti-Semitism from its terms of reference, is seen as an attempt to make security agencies scapegoats for the tragedy.
The Call for Light Over Darkness
Advocates for a royal commission argue that, like past inquiries into institutional child sexual abuse, aged care, and robodebt, it is essential to drag evil into the light. They contend that forensic questioning under oath is precisely what is needed to understand how anti-Semitism was allowed to fester to such a deadly point.
The government's continued refusal is seen as protecting the Labor Party itself. As pressure mounts, the Prime Minister is urged to heed the call for truth, with critics invoking Leonard Cohen's lyric: There is a crack, a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in.
