Australia’s spy chief told the Royal Commission on Antisemitism Monday that Jew hatred was left unchecked after the Bondi Beach massacre, leading to its normalization in Australian society. He also said Iran was behind at least two of the attacks, and possibly more, leading to the expulsion of Iran’s ambassador to Australia.

“There is no doubt that the war in the Middle East invoked a range of emotions in Australia,” said Mike Burgess, director-general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organization. “Some of those violent aspects … and those behaviors, including antisemitism that, in our view, were left unchecked, were therefore normalized and gave more permission for violence … and Jewish Australians were on the receiving end.”

Starting in late 2024, antisemitism “escalated in severity from threatening, intimidating behavior ‌to direct targeting of people, businesses and places of worship,” he added.

Jewish and even non-Jewish leaders from within and without had been warning Australia for years that it must address escalating antisemitism in the country.

In December 2025, Australian Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said: “We have seen a clear failure to keep Jewish Australians safe. We have seen a clear lack of leadership in keeping Jewish Australians safe. We have a government that sees antisemitism as a problem to be managed, not evil that needs to be eradicated.”

J7, the Large Communities’ Task Force Against Antisemitism, visited Australia just days before the attack to urge the government to do more to combat antisemitism. “We came from around the world to show our solidarity with the Australian Jewish community and make clear that we are one Jewish family,” the delegation said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in a letter months before the attack on Bondi Beach that his policies toward Israel (namely, recognition of a Palestinian state, which rewarded Hamas terror) would encourage antisemitic violence.

Burgess informed the commission that Iran was behind at least two attacks, one on a kosher restaurant in Sydney and the other on Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne. He said that Iran was possibly behind other attacks as well.

“They use their network of proxies and agents to do their bidding, and that is to bring harm to Jewish people wherever they are in the world,” he explained.