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Australian sports stars demand public inquiry into antisemitism and Bondi Beach attack
Grand Slam winner Lleyton Hewitt and former national cricket captain Michael Clarke are among the athletes pressing for the inquiry
January 5, 2026 15:47
Grand Slam winner Lleyton Hewitt and former national cricket captain Michael Clarke are among the athletes pressing for the inquiry
January 5, 2026 15:47More than 60 Australian sports stars have called for an independent public inquiry into antisemitism in the country, and the events leading up to the Bondi Beach terror attack.
The athletes, which include Olympian swimmers Ian Thorpe and Grant Hackett, have penned an open letter demanding Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese shows “decisive national leadership by confronting extremism and terrorism in all its forms, without fear or hesitation” by establishing a "royal commission” – which in Australia is the highest form of inquiry on matters of public importance – to investigate the antisemitic mass shooting.
Other high-profile sporting figures championing the royal commission include former Other sports stars to sign the letter include former national cricket captain Michael Clarke, Grand Slam tennis champions Pat Rafter and Lleyton Hewitt, former Hockeyroo player Nova Peris and freestyle champion swimmer Dawn Fraser.
Referring to the situation as “a national crisis”, the authors highlighted the “unprecedented harassment, intimidation and violence that has been directed at the Australian Jewish community since October 7”, and called for a “national response” to tackle this, adding “this is bigger than politics.”
Dawn Fraser is a national treasure. An icon, a champion and role model in every respect. This speech she gave from the Bondi Pavilion, calling for a Royal Commission into Antisemitism after the Bondi Attack, is indeed one for the ages! pic.twitter.com/OKuL0SL5xd
— Arsen Ostrovsky 🎗️ (@Ostrov_A) January 4, 2026
The sports stars’ letter follows an earlier call for a national inquiry by relatives of those killed and wounded in the Chanukah attack.
In December, the families of 17 people killed and wounded urged Albanese to “immediately establish a Commonwealth Royal Commission into the rapid rise of antisemitism in Australia” and examine “law enforcement, intelligence and policy failures that led to the Bondi Beach massacre.”
Many Australians believe the government failed to intervene when hatred of Israel and Jews went on display on the streets of large cities after October 7, including at an anti-Israel rally held on October 8 2023. Viral footage of this rally showed people chanting a slogan that some viewers heard as “Gas the Jews” while others heard “Where’s the Jews?”
“We need to know why clear warning signs were ignored, how antisemitic hatred and Islamic extremism were allowed to dangerously grow unchecked, and what changes must be made to protect all Australians going forward,” the 17 families wrote.
The Rabbinical Association of Australasia also published a letter to Albanese, whose government is viewed by many as having been more hostile to Israel than its predecessors, demanding an inquiry.
The Jewish community of Australia found the government’s response to the Bondi massacre “insufficient,” the Rabbinical Association wrote.
“Antisemitism today does not recognise state borders. It spreads like a cancer through national and global networks – online platforms, funding streams, radical Islamist and other extremist ideologies, and radicalisation pathways – many of which fall substantially within Commonwealth responsibility,” it said.
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