Former Australian Jewish Association president David Adler said the Labor government should answer for policy decisions which \u201csignificantly incited antisemitism and emboldened activists\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has done this by a whole series of major anti-Israel policy shifts and making decisions which put the Jewish community at heightened\u00a0risk,\u201d Mr Adler told SkyNews.com.au.<\/p>\n
Mr Adler said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke were the \u201cmost responsible\u201d government officials for the rise in antisemitism in Australia.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll three should be called before the Royal Commission to answer questions on the radical shift of Australia’s formerly bipartisan policy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
It is unknown whether ministers have already given evidence behind closed doors, however calls are growing for public hearings.<\/p>\n
Shadow education minister Julian Leeser said the Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister \u201cshould absolutely appear\u201d before the Royal Commission if asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are real questions to be asked about the state of our terrorism preparedness, levels of counter-terrorism funding and who knew what and when prior to Bondi which only they can answer,\u201d he told SkyNews.com.au.<\/p>\n
![\"\u2018Failures](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/891fcabf9979a0b8bf998618384a404e.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
The Australian’s Simon Benson said Mr Albanese himself had flagged earlier in the year that he would make cabinet members, or himself, available for the Commissioner if called upon.<\/p>\n
The scope of the third block of hearings included the Commission examining the “effectiveness of existing policy settings relating to the online safety environment”.<\/p>\n
Mr Benson said the government was directly responsible for regulation around online hate speech.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the questions they want to go to is the policy settings and the regulation around online hate speech,\u201d Mr Benson told Sky News Chief Anchor Kieran Gilbert.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow if the executive of government isn’t responsible for setting policy and regulation … then who is?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Benson said a minister being called to give evidence was not to facilitate a \u201cgotcha moment\u201d but to provide the public with an explanation about how decisions are made.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat decisions were made and at what level, about whether it’s funding for counter-terrorism, dealing with antisemitism, because there are questions about the government’s lack of speed and haste in which it dealt with the appointment of a special envoy, for example,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
However, Mr Benson said it was \u201crare\u201d for a sitting minister to be hauled before a Royal Commission.<\/p>\n
![\"\u2018Disgrace\u2019:](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/233e38352d0c25663f26bc16d90d4b58.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
Earlier this month, Royal Commissioner Virginia Bell rejected the government’s bid to keep certain documents secret from the antisemitism inquiry, including material linked to evidence from ASIO boss Mike Burgess.<\/p>\n
The former High Court justice determined that the public interest in limited disclosure of the documents overruled cabinet confidentiality.<\/p>\n