Royal commission into Bondi terror attack looks at ABC, SBS and online hate

National broadcasters the ABC and SBS will be called as witnesses to the royal commission into antisemitism and social cohesion, after complaints were made to the inquiry about their coverage of the war in Israel/Gaza, Guardian Australia reports.

Counsel assisting Richard Lancaster SC said some submissions to the royal commission are “highly critical” of the public broadcasters’ reporting on the conflict.

“There are complaints that the ABC and the SBS have produced coverage that is inaccurate or unbalanced, both in their selection of stories and focus and in the reportage that they produce,” he said.

Both the ABC and SBS have denied the accuracy of the complaints. An SBS spokesperson said it was “engaging with the royal commission process, including by providing written submissions”.

The commission was established after the December 2025 shootings on Bondi beach, where 15 people lost their lives.

The commission is currently focussing on how social media has been used for antisemitic attacks on children and one particular high-profile Australian family, since the shooting.

On Monday, former Westfield co-chief executive Steven Lowy told the inquiry his family had faced more than 15,000 serious online attacks in a year.

The family has been forced to hire independent security to help monitor posts online.

The royal commission heard that the team identified 200 “persons of interest” and referred “in the order of” 30 or 40 to police, Guardian Australia reports.

The commission was shown evidence of Lowy, his wife Judy Lowy, and his father, Frank Lowy - a Holocaust survivor - being the target of horrific anti-semitic attacks.

Lowy expressed concern about a physical manifestation of the threats, and called for social media platforms to help prevent hateful content.

Arsen Ostrovsky, the head of the Australia, Israel and Jewish Affairs Council’s Sydney office, was injured in the Bondi attack. A photograph he shared online of his injuries head was manipulated and used to spread conspiracy theories.

Ostrovsky told the commission:

“And there were images, videos and material suggesting everything from that this was a false flag attack … that this wasn’t real blood, that it was ketchup. There were images of me holding a what looked like a Academy Award trophy, and many of these images, videos and material, are still online today."

Over the next two weeks, commissioner Virginia Bell will hear more evidence from witnesses including academic experts, and social media company Meta.

Top image: ABC and SBS logos

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