MELBOURNE – A governmental investigation into the surge of antisemitic incidents across Australia has called for urgent reforms in gun laws following a tragic mass shooting that claimed 15 lives during a Hanukkah celebration last year.
The Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion was initiated after Sajid and Naveed Akram, a father and son duo, allegedly carried out a shooting at Bondi Beach on December 14, 2025. The attack, executed with legally acquired firearms, is believed to have been inspired by the Islamic State group.
On Thursday, Royal Commissioner Virginia Bell released an interim report detailing 14 recommendations. However, five of these suggestions remain undisclosed due to their sensitive nature concerning national security.
The report also highlights a notable increase in antisemitic activities in Australia since the conflict between Israel and Hamas reignited on October 7, 2023.
The analysis suggests that the joint military actions by the United States and Israel against Iran in February may have heightened the threat levels against the Australian Jewish community.
Among the recommendations, the report advocates for tighter regulations on gun ownership and enhanced monitoring of gun licenses.
The recommendations included that the federal and state governments prioritize implementing nationally consistent gun laws and a gun buyback.
Sajid Naveed was shot dead by police at the crime scene. He was a licensed shooter who legally owned the guns used.
Under new restrictions proposed by the federal government, the Indian-born Australian permanent resident would have been banned from holding a gun license because he was not an Australian citizen.
His son was wounded but survived. Naveed Akram has been charged with committing a terrorist act, 15 counts of murder and 40 counts of attempted murder. He has entered no pleas.
The government has also proposed limiting the number of guns someone can own to as few as four and implementing periodic reviews of existing gun licenses.
The new restrictions would be accompanied with a gun buyback scheme to compensate gun owners who must hand in weapons. The government has proposed sharing the cost of the buyback with the six states and two territories. But some states have said they won’t pay.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his government had agreed to implement all the recommendations that were relevant to federal authorities.
Albanese said he hoped the recommended gun reforms were implemented.
“I certainly hope that that occurs and would continue to engage constructively with state and territory governments to say that this is reform which is necessary,” Albanese told reporters.
Albanese noted that Australia commemorated on Tuesday the 30th anniversary of Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in modern times.
A landmark national firearms agreement virtually banned rapid-fire rifles after a gunman killed 35 people in Tasmania state on April 28, 1996.
“The nation is safer because of that,” Albanese said.
Government moves to increase protection of Jewish sites
Albanese noted that despite concluding that risks to Australian Jews were rising, the report found that no urgent changes were required to keep Australians safe.
“There has been a rise in antisemitism. That is a global phenomenon,” Albanese said.
“That is something that has happened right around the world. Governments need to respond to it. We are responding to it,” he added.
The report noted that the government had allocated 102 million Australian dollars ($73 million) to increase security at Jewish sites including synagogues and schools.
The money is administered by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, the community’s peak organization.
The council’s co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin said the report was an important part in the process of making Jewish Australians feel safe again.
“We need to get to a point where Jewish Australians at Hanukkah this year … feel safe, that we can gather again, that we won’t be targeted,” Ryvchin told Australian Broadcasting Corp.
“It’s going to be a long process to get us to that point. There’s a deep sense of trauma in the community and … a lot of unanswered questions, bit this is an important step in the process,” he added.
Public hearings in the inquiry begin on Monday next week.
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