Documents relating to the consideration and subsequent appointment of the Hon Virginia Bell AC or any other candidate to lead the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion

Written by Claude Haiku 5.5 from the extracted text on 20 Oct 2026. It can miss or misread redacted and scanned pages. Check the source before relying on it.

This FOI release from the Attorney-General's Department contains draft explanatory memoranda, emails, briefings and a staff message concerning the establishment of the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion, announced on 8 January 2026 after the Bondi Beach terrorist attack. The explanatory memorandum and draft Letters Patent under section 1A of the Royal Commissions Act 1902 propose appointing the Hon Virginia Bell AC as sole Commissioner, with an interim report due 30 April 2026 and a final report due 14 December 2026. The papers note the Commission's declaration as a relevant Commission under sections 4 and 5 of the Act and disclosure of taxpayer information under item 5 of the Taxation Administration Act 1953. Cabinet and legal professional privilege markings appear on several documents, and many passages are redacted under sections 22 and 47F.