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In the days after the Bondi massacre, this masthead took the editorial decision to lead calls for a royal commission into this murderous attack on the Jewish community. As the nation continued to mourn, we began 2026 with an editorial calling on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese “to announce a Commonwealth royal commission that investigates every aspect of the events leading up to Bondi, with the scourge of antisemitism front and centre”.
Our reasoning was that this is the only form of inquiry with the scope to root out the rise of antisemitism in this country, which has only accelerated since the appalling Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, and throughout Israel’s subsequent bombardment of Gaza.
In recent weeks, this masthead published thousands of names of Australians calling on the Prime Minister to establish a federal royal commission. Some were prominent business leaders, others household names in the sporting arena.
In the case of the Bondi Response group, 2000 people, some Jewish, some not, raised money for a media advertising campaign. They did it because it was the right thing to do – and we supported them for the same reason.
Although The Age saw the need for a royal commission, not all our readers, and indeed not all Australians, agreed with that approach. And those views, too, found a place in our pages as the nation debated how best to respond to the tragedy.
Much has been said and written about the Cathy Wilcox cartoon published in these pages on January 7.
For decades, The Age’s cartoonists have held up a mirror to reflect hypocrisy in public life. They lampoon the powerful – in politics, business and, sometimes, their own publishers. This is the price of independence and it must never be compromised. Their work appears on the opinion pages because that is what a cartoon is: the artist’s opinion, a first impression of major news events.
Wilcox’s intention was to scrutinise the almost immediate politicisation following the horrific attack at Bondi. She by no means intended to cause hurt to the Jewish community. Her depiction of Benjamin Netanyahu, for example, is premised on his condemnation of Anthony Albanese in the hours after the attack, declaring the prime minister’s recognition of Palestine “pours fuel on the antisemitic fire”.
Many of our readers found the cartoon thought-provoking. It is undeniable, however, that many others in the community, particularly Jews, were deeply hurt and offended by it. We have heard their distress and for this pain, we sincerely apologise.
As royal commissioner Virginia Bell begins her inquiry, we will have more uncomfortable conversations about what constitutes free speech. The seeds of that debate have been sown in the past week, with the withdrawal of a host of eminent writers from Adelaide Writers’ Week following the festival’s removal of controversial Palestinian writer Randa Abdel-Fattah from the program.
The withdrawals were not necessarily an endorsement of her views and statements, but an act in support of free speech.
This masthead stands in support of free speech, but acknowledges the harm it is capable of causing. There is no place in this country for hate speech. There must, however, be room for people to express their views on politics and world events. Wilcox and other cartoonists must be allowed to continue to draw the world as they see it.
There are many commentators and members of the Jewish community, for example, who do not support the policies of Israel under Benjamin Netanyahu. They, too, must not be silenced.
The Age’s View – Since The Age was first published in 1854, the editorial team has believed it important to express a considered view on the issues of the day for readers, always putting the public interest first.From our partners
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