Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash
Shadow Attorney-General
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
Senator for Western Australia
Senator the Hon Jonno Duniam
Shadow Minister for Home Affairs and Immigration
Manager of Opposition Business the the Senate
Senator for Tasmania
24 FEBRUARY 2026
PRIME MINISTER MUST APPEAR AT ROYAL COMMISSION
The Coalition today calls on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to immediately confirm that he and his Ministers will appear before the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion.
The Coalition welcomes the Opening Hearing of the Royal Commission and Commissioner the Hon Virginia Bell AC SC’s opening statement.
It is not clear if the Royal Commissioner intends to call on Ministers of the Commonwealth to give evidence, given the Commissioner’s statement that said no person will be pressured to give evidence.
Mr Albanese should immediately write to Royal Commissioner, requesting that he and his Ministers appear as witnesses at the Royal Commission.
It is critical for the Royal Commission to properly assess the Government’s actions in the lead up and in response to the massacre.
The only way to genuinely and fully examine and confront the drivers of antisemitism and extremism is to include the scrutiny and conduct of the Albanese Government and its Ministers.
Australians deserve to know not only what actions and decisions were taken and not taken, but also what warnings were received and when.
Anything less than direct and frank evidence from Ministers, including an honest account of delays and missteps, will compromise the Commission’s work and leave many unanswered questions that the Jewish and wider Australian community needs to have resolved.
The Coalition welcomes Commissioner Bell’s statement that, “the focus of this Commission will be on tackling antisemitism…” and also notes, importantly that the Royal Commissioner has adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism.
Australia’s Jewish community has been let down by the Albanese Government’s inadequate attention to antisemitism in Australia since 7 October 2023.
The Royal Commissioner has acknowledged that the “absorption” of the Richardson Review into the Royal Commission and the process of the Commission now compelling evidence previously requested at an administrative level, has “led to some delay”.
This is a damning reminder from the Royal Commissioner herself that the Albanese Government’s dithering and delay over the establishment of the Commission has had an impact on the next steps for justice. The establishment of the Royal Commission is thanks to the persistence and advocacy of the Jewish community, many of whom unnecessarily spent more than three weeks fighting for a Royal Commission amidst their grief.
ENDS
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