The Australian Federal Police Association has welcomed the Interim Report of the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion and says its recommendations must be backed by practical investment in AFP capability, intelligence sharing and frontline policing.
AFPA President Alex Caruana said the Bondi terrorist attack was a national tragedy and a direct attack not just on Australia’s Jewish community, but Australians in general.
“Fifteen people were killed, forty more were wounded, and countless others were traumatised. This was not only an attack on one community, but it was also an attack on public safety, social cohesion and the basic right of Australians to gather safely.
“The AFPA supports the public recommendations of the Interim Report. They are sensible, practical and focused on strengthening the national counter-terrorism system.”
“The recommendations must now be implemented properly. That means clear authority, proper information sharing, modern systems and enough AFP members to do the work.”
The AFPA strongly supports the recommendation to review Joint Counter-Terrorism Teams (JCTTs), including leadership structures, team integration, systems access, and information sharing.
Mr Caruana said that JCTTs are one of Australia’s most important counter-terrorism tools.
“If the Royal Commission has identified a need to test how they are functioning, that review should happen quickly, thoroughly and with input from the people who do the work every day.
“This cannot be a paper exercise. It must look at whether teams have the staffing, systems, intelligence access and operational support they need,” Mr Caruana said.
The AFPA also supports recommendations to strengthen national counter-terrorism coordination, including consideration of a full-time Commonwealth Counter-Terrorism Coordinator, clearer crisis arrangements for the Australia-New Zealand Counter-Terrorism Committee (ANZCTC), updated counter-terrorism guidance and regular advice to National Cabinet.
Mr Caruana said these recommendations are about clarity, and in a terrorism crisis, confusion costs time, and Australia needs clear lines of authority before, during, and after an attack.
“The AFPA supports the recommendation for National Security Committee ministers, including the Prime Minister, to take part in counter-terrorism exercises with National Cabinet members.
“Senior decision-makers need to understand the speed, pressure and complexity of a counter-terrorism incident. Exercises help expose weaknesses before real lives are at risk,” Mr Caruana said.
The AFPA also backs the report’s recommendations for an updated and nationally consistent National Firearms Agreement.
The Royal Commission noted that national consistency in firearms regulation is important because firearms and people can move across state and territory borders with relative ease.
Mr Caruana said that firearm regulation is not just a licensing issue, but also a public safety and national security issue.
“Police need intelligence-informed licensing systems. They need consistent laws across jurisdictions. Police also need this information in real time, at all hours of the day and night, without having to rely on someone searching a paper-based system.
“Governments also need to understand that compliance, enforcement and intelligence work require resources to be effective. In short, to make these recommendations work and avoid being tokenistic, it will take government investment,” Mr Caruana said.
The AFPA said it supports the confidential recommendations in principle where they improve information sharing, operational systems, intelligence flows, and counter-terrorism capability, but cannot give unconditional public support to recommendations that are not publicly available.
Mr Caruana said that where recommendations remain confidential for national security reasons, the AFPA respects that, but the test for government is simple: any reform must improve capability, protect the community, and support the members tasked with delivering it.
“The AFP has already played a significant role in responding to antisemitic threats and politically motivated violence. That work cannot be done on goodwill alone.
“If the government wants the AFP to do more, whether it’s tackling rising national security threats, child exploitation, counter-terrorism, or complex cross-jurisdictional investigations, then it must properly fund and resource the organisation to match those expectations.
“Government can’t continually ask frontline officers and specialist teams to take on greater responsibilities, operate in high-risk environments, and deliver results with stretched budgets, outdated equipment, and insufficient staffing.
“Our members are already working under significant pressure, often putting themselves in harm’s way every day. They deserve the tools, the training, the personnel, and the support necessary to do the job effectively and safely,” Mr Caruana said.
The AFPA said it would continue to engage with the Royal Commission, the AFP and the government on the final report and any implementation process.
For comments: AFPA Media and Government Relations Manager Troy Roberts – (02) 6285 1677 – troy.r@afpa.org.au
The Australian Federal Police Association has welcomed the Interim Report of the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion and says its recommendations must be backed by practical investment in AFP capability, intelligence sharing and frontline policing.
AFPA President Alex Caruana said the Bondi terrorist attack was a national tragedy and a direct attack not just on Australia’s Jewish community, but Australians in general.
“Fifteen people were killed, forty more were wounded, and countless others were traumatised. This was not only an attack on one community, but it was also an attack on public safety, social cohesion and the basic right of Australians to gather safely.
“The AFPA supports the public recommendations of the Interim Report. They are sensible, practical and focused on strengthening the national counter-terrorism system.”
“The recommendations must now be implemented properly. That means clear authority, proper information sharing, modern systems and enough AFP members to do the work.”
The AFPA strongly supports the recommendation to review Joint Counter-Terrorism Teams (JCTTs), including leadership structures, team integration, systems access, and information sharing.
Mr Caruana said that JCTTs are one of Australia’s most important counter-terrorism tools.
“If the Royal Commission has identified a need to test how they are functioning, that review should happen quickly, thoroughly and with input from the people who do the work every day.
“This cannot be a paper exercise. It must look at whether teams have the staffing, systems, intelligence access and operational support they need,” Mr Caruana said.
The AFPA also supports recommendations to strengthen national counter-terrorism coordination, including consideration of a full-time Commonwealth Counter-Terrorism Coordinator, clearer crisis arrangements for the Australia-New Zealand Counter-Terrorism Committee (ANZCTC), updated counter-terrorism guidance and regular advice to National Cabinet.
Mr Caruana said these recommendations are about clarity, and in a terrorism crisis, confusion costs time, and Australia needs clear lines of authority before, during, and after an attack.
“The AFPA supports the recommendation for National Security Committee ministers, including the Prime Minister, to take part in counter-terrorism exercises with National Cabinet members.
“Senior decision-makers need to understand the speed, pressure and complexity of a counter-terrorism incident. Exercises help expose weaknesses before real lives are at risk,” Mr Caruana said.
The AFPA also backs the report’s recommendations for an updated and nationally consistent National Firearms Agreement.
The Royal Commission noted that national consistency in firearms regulation is important because firearms and people can move across state and territory borders with relative ease.
Mr Caruana said that firearm regulation is not just a licensing issue, but also a public safety and national security issue.
“Police need intelligence-informed licensing systems. They need consistent laws across jurisdictions. Police also need this information in real time, at all hours of the day and night, without having to rely on someone searching a paper-based system.
“Governments also need to understand that compliance, enforcement and intelligence work require resources to be effective. In short, to make these recommendations work and avoid being tokenistic, it will take government investment,” Mr Caruana said.
The AFPA said it supports the confidential recommendations in principle where they improve information sharing, operational systems, intelligence flows, and counter-terrorism capability, but cannot give unconditional public support to recommendations that are not publicly available.
Mr Caruana said that where recommendations remain confidential for national security reasons, the AFPA respects that, but the test for government is simple: any reform must improve capability, protect the community, and support the members tasked with delivering it.
“The AFP has already played a significant role in responding to antisemitic threats and politically motivated violence. That work cannot be done on goodwill alone.
“If the government wants the AFP to do more, whether it’s tackling rising national security threats, child exploitation, counter-terrorism, or complex cross-jurisdictional investigations, then it must properly fund and resource the organisation to match those expectations.
“Government can’t continually ask frontline officers and specialist teams to take on greater responsibilities, operate in high-risk environments, and deliver results with stretched budgets, outdated equipment, and insufficient staffing.
“Our members are already working under significant pressure, often putting themselves in harm’s way every day. They deserve the tools, the training, the personnel, and the support necessary to do the job effectively and safely,” Mr Caruana said.
The AFPA said it would continue to engage with the Royal Commission, the AFP and the government on the final report and any implementation process.
For comments: AFPA Media and Government Relations Manager Troy Roberts – (02) 6285 1677 – troy.r@afpa.org.au
