On 9 January 2026, the Governor-General, Her Excellency the Honourable Sam Mostyn AC, issued Letters Patent, which established the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion.
The Hon Virginia Bell AC SC has been appointed as the Royal Commissioner. The Commissioner is required to produce an interim report by 30 April 2026 and a final report by 14 December 2026.
This week on Yeah Nah Pasaran! we talk to (Dr) Jordy Silverstein [Bluesky]. Jordy is the author of Cruel Care (2023) and Anxious Histories (2015) — about which inter alia we spoke to her in May 2024. On this occasion, we asked for Jordy’s thoughts on the Royal Commission’s proceedings to date.
While the Royal Commission has adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition as its guide, the Interim Report does not explicitly define ‘social cohesion’, but rather states that … recognising that strengthening the national consensus in support of democracy, freedom and the rule of law (social cohesion) provides the strongest defence against antisemitism and other forms of religious and ideologically motivated extremism.
See also : Australian universities may be forced to adopt a definition of antisemitism to address ‘sectoral failure’, Conor Duffy, ABC, May 14, 2026 / Response to the University Report Card Sectoral Assessment, Universities Australia, May 14, 2026 / Antisemitism, Zionism and Israel: Royal commission hearings take a political turn, Zacharias Szumer, SBS, May 17, 2026 / Week 2 of Public Hearings, Muslim Votes Matter Australia, May 18, 2026 / ABC and SBS refuse to adopt antisemitism definition used by royal commission, Amanda Meade, The Guardian, May 19, 2026 | Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism | Loud Jew Collective /// Australian Palestine Advocacy Network /// Jewish Council of Australia.
4.30pm, May 21, 2026 /// 855AM, digital, streaming, Community Radio Plus, podcats.
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