Families of those killed and wounded in the mass shooting at a Hanukkah festival on Sydney’s famed Bondi Beach have issued an impassioned open letter calling on the federal government to launch a royal commission to investigate a rise in antisemitism and the security failures exposed by the attack.

On December fourteenth, two gunmen opened fire on a Jewish festival at Bondi Beach, killing at least fifteen people and injuring dozens in what has been widely described by authorities and international observers as an antisemitic terrorist act.

In their letter to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, seventeen families said the incident reflects a broader national crisis of unchecked hatred and extremist threats that must be examined at the highest level of public inquiry.

They argue that existing state-level mechanisms are insufficient to probe the complex interplay of antisemitism, intelligence lapses and law enforcement shortcomings that preceded the massacre.

Royal commissions in Australia hold extensive powers to compel testimony and documents and can expose systemic weaknesses in policy, intelligence and enforcement practices.

The families’ appeal has gained traction among Jewish community leaders and opposition lawmakers, who have echoed calls for a comprehensive and transparent federal investigation.

However, Prime Minister Albanese has resisted the proposal, saying a royal commission would take years to produce findings and could distract from urgent national security work.

Instead, he has announced an independent review led by a retired senior official to examine potential procedural and legal failings, with an expected report due in April.

Albanese has stressed that protecting national cohesion and ensuring swift action to improve security are paramount, and has pledged federal support for a state-led royal commission initiated by New South Wales authorities.

The debate over the appropriate scope and level of public inquiry comes as Australia tightens security measures ahead of New Year’s Eve celebrations and grapples with community concerns about hate crimes.

The victims’ families maintain that only a federal royal commission can provide the clarity, accountability and reform needed to prevent further tragedies and address the deepening fear among Jewish Australians amid a pattern of rising antisemitic incidents.