First report into antisemitism royal commission recommends national gun buyback scheme, more counter-terrorism powers

Authorities could not have prevented the Bondi Beach terror attack but there are major improvements that should be made to Australia's counter-terrorism capability, a royal commission into antisemitism has found.

The interim report from the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion was published today, less than five months after 15 innocent people were gunned down in the horror mass shooting.

It includes 14 key recommendations – five of which remain confidential – on how governments can tackle the anti-Jewish climate, all of which Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has vowed will be adopted by the federal government.

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The report confirmed that the massacre could not have been prevented and that no legal or regulatory shortcoming contributed to the attack.

However it identified major improvements that could still be made to Australia's counter-terrorism teams and how information is shared between agencies.

"No Commonwealth or state intelligence or law enforcement agency has suggested that it was prevented from taking prohibitive actions before or on 14 December 2025 by the then current legislative and authorising framework," the report states.

"In these respects, no issue requiring urgent or immediate action has been identified."

Chief among them is a recommendation that all states and territories work with the federal government to implement the proposed gun buyback scheme and that a universal National Firearms Agreement should be legislated.

Albanese said the government will respond quickly to the recommendations.

"We're not sitting back and just reading this document. We're acting on it," the PM said.

"We support the recommendations, all of them."

When asked about the gun buyback scheme, which faced a snag after less than half the states and territories signed up before the deadline, Albanese said it was clear the government should forge ahead with the firearm reform.

"It will be up to states and territories. Of course, we'll have to give consideration to the very clear recommendations – there were two of the recommendations that make it clear – that we should progress with nationally consistent gun reform," he said.

"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."

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Several published recommendations involved giving the Australia-New Zealand Counter-Terrorism Committee (ANZCTC) more powers to advise the government on how to respond to terrorism threats.

This includes giving direct advice, written or oral, to national cabinet on an annual basis and an ANZCTC-commissioned review into the Joint Counter-Terrorism Teams.

"The review should include consideration of leadership structures, team integration, systems access and information sharing arrangements," the report states.

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The report then recommended that Australia's counter-terrorism handbook be updated promptly, and again every three years, with amendments to the country's national terrorism plan.

As part of this national terrorism plan, the report said the Australian government should consider if national security members, including the prime minister, should take part in a counter-terrorism exercise within nine months of a federal election.

And a recommendation that the government considers making the role of the Commonwealth Counter-Terrorism Coordinator full-time.

The report also noted that NSW Police should adopt the same security measures for all high-risk Jewish festivals and events as it does for High Holy Days in the Jewish calendar.

Five other confidential recommendations will be released in the final report.

Commissioner for the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion Virginia Bell said that no issues identified in the report require "urgent or immediate action".

Albanese said the national security committee has agreed to adopt all relevant Commonwealth recommendations.

"Five months on from the attack, Australia's Jewish community is still grieving. Still hurting, still craving answers," he told reporters in Sydney.

Albanese described the interim report as a way to help Australia "understand what happened that day, to help us stamp out the hatred that drove the attackers and to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again".

Today's recommendations have been shared ahead of the final report, due by December 2026.

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