ABC and SBS face antisemitism inquiry scrutiny as online hate evidence escalates

Last updated: June 29, 2026, 4:55pm

The hearing room turned from legal formality to raw testimony as witnesses described phones lighting up with threats, doctored images and schoolyard abuse moving into private chats. Australia’s Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion has opened its third block of hearings, this time focused on online hate, traditional media and the institutions expected to answer for both. Over the next fortnight, the inquiry is due to hear from platforms, regulators and public broadcasters, including the ABC and SBS. The evidence has already placed one question at the centre of the national conversation: how quickly can online abuse move from a screen to real-world fear?

How Events Unfolded

The commission heard on Monday that former Westfield co-chief executive Steven Lowy’s family had been subjected to more than 15,000 serious online attacks in the 12 months to February. Their security team identified 200 persons of interest and referred about 30 or 40 people to police, according to evidence reported by The Guardian’s coverage of the commission.

The examples shown to the inquiry included death threats, calls for Frank Lowy and others to be executed, and antisemitic memes and tropes. Frank Lowy, a Holocaust survivor and billionaire retail figure, was among those targeted. Steven Lowy told the commission that online threats could lead to real-world violence, arguing social media platforms should be subject to laws closer to those applied to traditional media.

Bondi terror attack survivor Arsen Ostrovsky also gave evidence about altered images and conspiracy claims that spread within hours of the December 14, 2025 attack. The ABC reported that deepfake and manipulated images depicted him holding an Academy Award while covered in blood, while other posts called him a trauma tourist or false flag actor. Ostrovsky said some of that material was still online when he gave evidence.

The hearing block is not limited to social media platforms. Counsel assisting Richard Lancaster SC said complaints had been made about ABC and SBS coverage of the Middle East conflict, including claims that reporting was inaccurate or unbalanced in story selection and focus. Both public broadcasters have made submissions to the inquiry, though the ABC and SBS submissions have not been made public.

Digging Deeper

The inquiry was established after the Bondi terror attack, in which the ABC reported 15 people died. This third hearing block is focused on how antisemitic content spreads through online communities, the impact on Jewish Australians, and whether existing policies are strong enough to prevent hate speech.

What makes the evidence especially confronting is the movement between online harassment and daily life. One anonymous Sydney mother told the commission her then-Year 7 daughter was targeted at school before the abuse shifted to TikTok, where a video included the child’s photo and symbols used to evade automatic blocking. Another father described threats and abusive polls directed at his 14-year-old son on Discord.

The commission has also turned attention to platform accountability. Lancaster said Facebook, Google, LinkedIn and TikTok had engaged meaningfully with the inquiry, while X and Telegram had not responded. Reddit and Twitch had responded in a limited way, and Gab was described as openly hostile after a representative said the platform would publish what it likes, when it likes.

What People Are Saying

Steven Lowy’s evidence framed the scale of abuse as both personal and national. His family is unusually prominent, but his point was that the pattern reaches well beyond public figures.

The volume of this is enormous and we are just one family,

Ostrovsky, who leads the Australia, Israel and Jewish Affairs Council’s Sydney office, described the abuse as an attempt to erase the reality of what happened to him after the attack.

It tries to completely erase my experience and my trauma.

SBS defended its coverage in a statement cited by the ABC, saying its work is guided by its public service remit.

As a public service media organisation, SBS provides accurate, balanced and impartial coverage across a range of matters, including antisemitism and social cohesion, in accordance with the SBS Code of Practice and in fulfilment of its Charter,

Putting It in Perspective

For Australian readers, the immediate consequence is not abstract media politics. The inquiry is examining whether the systems Australians rely on — schools, police, broadcasters, regulators and platforms — can respond fast enough when hate speech targets real people.

The public broadcaster angle adds another layer. ABC and SBS are not being asked to answer only for individual complaints; Royal Commissioner Virginia Bell said it was not the inquiry’s job to resolve individual complaints against them. The broader issue is how media organisations identify antisemitism, handle coverage of the Middle East conflict, and maintain trust in communities who feel exposed.

The online platform evidence also points to a policy gap. If Meta, Google, LinkedIn and TikTok appear while X, Telegram and Gab resist or ignore requests, the commission will be looking at an uneven enforcement landscape. That matters because abuse can move across platforms faster than complaints systems can process it.

Looking Ahead

Over the next two weeks, the commission is expected to hear more evidence about antisemitic content online, hateful speech, and antisemitism in traditional media and broadcasting. Witnesses due to appear include Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism Jillian Segal, eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, representatives from Meta, and the Australian Communications and Media Authority.

After this hearing block, the ABC reported that Commissioner Bell and inquiry staff will travel to Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane to meet Jewish communities and multicultural organisations. Further hearings are scheduled in Melbourne between July 13 and 24. The final report and recommendations are due by the 12-month anniversary of the Bondi attack.