Amajority of Australians support tougher government action to screen visa applicants for extremist views, while nearly half would back a royal commission into antisemitism following the deadly Bondi terror attack, according to polling reported by The Age.
In the aftermath of the attack, which killed 15 Jewish Australians celebrating Hanukkah, public opinion appears to have hardened in favour of stronger measures to counter antisemitism and extremist ideology. A Resolve poll conducted for The Age found about seven in 10 respondents supported tougher penalties for hate speech and extremist groups.
The survey comes as the Coalition continues to press for a royal commission into the Bondi attack and antisemitism more broadly, a push that has also been endorsed by several senior former judges and barristers. According to The Age, 48 per cent of those surveyed supported a royal commission into antisemitism, while 34 per cent were neutral or undecided and 17 per cent opposed the idea.
Resolve surveyed 1,010 Australians between Wednesday and Saturday, with a margin of error of 3.1 per cent, as the federal government intensified its response to the attack.
Among seven policy options canvassed, tougher immigration screening to identify antisemitic or extremist views received the strongest backing. The Age reported that 76 per cent of respondents supported tighter screening, compared with 7 per cent who opposed it. Banning extremist organisations was the next most popular option, with 72 per cent support and 6 per cent opposition.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has indicated the government intends to pursue both approaches. According to The Age, he will also introduce a new regime to list extremist organisations—such as Hizb ut-Tahrir—that have previously avoided government action because they do not meet the threshold for proscription as terrorist groups. Earlier this month, Burke cancelled the visa of a British national charged with displaying Nazi symbols and has flagged expanded powers to refuse or cancel visas on the basis of hate speech or vilification.
The poll also found strong support for other measures, including tougher hate speech laws, backed by 70 per cent of respondents and opposed by 8 per cent, and heavier penalties for those who incite violence against Jewish people, supported by 67 per cent and opposed by 8 per cent.
While legislating stronger limits on free speech has historically been contentious—with Coalition MPs spending much of the past decade campaigning to weaken parts of the Racial Discrimination Act—the opposition is now backing tougher hate laws. The polling suggests voters are increasingly prepared to accept restrictions on free speech following the Bondi attack.
According to The Age, support for stronger hate speech laws based on religion or faith has risen sharply. While 56 per cent backed such laws in March last year, support dipped to 49 per cent in May 2024 before climbing to 66 per cent this month. Support was strongest among Coalition voters at 74 per cent, followed by Labor voters at 70 per cent, One Nation voters at 69 per cent and Greens voters at 65 per cent.
Federal government departments are working through the new year to draft legislation creating new offences for hate preaching, racial vilification and the radicalisation of children by adults.
Opposition to tougher hate speech laws has also declined. While 19 per cent opposed banning hate speech based on religion or faith last March—rising to 28 per cent in May—only 9 per cent of respondents now oppose such changes.
The Resolve poll also found a narrow majority, 53 per cent, would support banning pro-Palestine marches, while 16 per cent opposed the idea and 31 per cent were undecided. Views were more mixed on compulsory Holocaust education in schools, with 46 per cent in favour, 21 per cent opposed and 32 per cent neutral or undecided. The Albanese government has established an antisemitism taskforce to examine the education system over the next 12 months.
Resolve director Jim Reed said the findings reflected a shift in public attitudes following recent events.
“Australians regard freedom of speech and action as core individual rights, but recent events have reinforced that they come with a reciprocal responsibility to society at large,” Reed told The Age.
Despite growing public support for an inquiry, the Albanese government has resisted calls for a federal royal commission, arguing it would take too long and delay urgent action. The government has said it will cooperate with a New South Wales inquiry to be established by Premier Chris Minns into the Bondi attack.
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