Australia is confronting a question than whether political protests have become more hostile: how far has antisemitism spread, and are institutions equipped to respond?

The problem has changed sharply since October 2023. Data compiled by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry recorded 1,654 anti-Jewish incidents nationally in the 12 months to September 2025. While lower than the 2,062 incidents recorded in the previous year, the 2025 figure remained almost five times the average annual level before October 7, 2023.

The figures cover conduct ranging from verbal abuse and threats to vandalism, assaults and attacks on Jewish sites. The trend has placed pressure on governments, police, schools, universities and platforms to distinguish legitimate political debate from conduct directed at Jewish people or communities.

That distinction has become contentious as arguments over Israel and Gaza have intensified. Criticism of the Israeli government or its policies is not, by itself, antisemitism. The challenge for authorities is identifying when political language crosses into hostility, intimidation or discrimination against Jews.

The debate is now being examined by the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion, established in January 2026 following the December 2025 Bondi terrorist attack. Commissioner Virginia Bell is due to deliver the final report by December 14, 2026.

The commission has received more than 20,000 submissions and heard from hundreds of witnesses, placing the issue at the centre of Australia’s national debate.

The key test will be whether the inquiry produces practical changes rather than documenting divisions. Better reporting systems, stronger responses to hate crimes, education against prejudice and clearer standards for public institutions could determine whether this crisis becomes a turning point.

For Australia, the issue is not simply about political disagreement. It is about whether people can disagree fiercely without allowing hatred of a community to become normalised.