MELBOURNE — The Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion released its first interim report recommending that federal and state governments prioritize nationally consistent gun laws and a gun buyback. The inquiry, established after a mass shooting that killed 15 people at a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach on Dec. 14, 2025, made 14 recommendations in total, five of which were classified as confidential for national security reasons and were not made public.

Royal Commissioner Virginia Bell delivered the report. It concluded that while risks to Australian Jews were rising, no urgent changes were required to keep Australians safe. The report said the number of antisemitic incidents in Australia increased after the war between Israel and Hamas began on Oct. 7, 2023, and that the United States and Israel's attack on Iran in February was likely to have increased the risk of attacks directed at the Australian Jewish community.

The government has proposed limiting the number of guns someone can own to as few as four and implementing periodic reviews of existing gun licenses. The proposed restrictions would be accompanied by a buyback scheme to compensate gun owners who must hand in weapons, with the cost shared between the federal government, the six states and two territories. Some states have said they will not pay their share of the buyback cost.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his government had agreed to implement all the recommendations relevant to federal authorities. "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," he said.

Australia commemorated the 30th anniversary of a mass shooting that killed 35 people in Tasmania state on April 28, 1996, after which the national firearms agreement banned rapid-fire rifles. "The nation is safer because of that," Albanese said. He also said: "There has been a rise in antisemitism. That is a global phenomenon."

The report noted that the government had allocated 102 million Australian dollars to increase security at Jewish sites including synagogues and schools, with the funds administered by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry. Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the council, said there was a deep sense of trauma in the community and many unanswered questions, and that the report was an important step toward Jewish Australians feeling safe at Hanukkah.

The shooting was allegedly carried out by father and son Sajid and Naveed Akram using legally owned guns, in an attack authorities say was inspired by the Islamic State group. Sajid Akram, a licensed shooter and Indian-born Australian permanent resident, was shot dead by police at the scene. Under the proposed federal restrictions, he would have been banned from holding a gun license because he was not an Australian citizen. Naveed Akram, who was wounded and survived, has been charged with committing a terrorist act, 15 counts of murder and 40 counts of attempted murder, and has entered no pleas. Public hearings in the inquiry begin on Monday next week.