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Education as a tool to fight hate in focus at antisemitism royal commission

The Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion is examining how education and policy frameworks can combat hate, with witnesses including the CEO of the Melbourne Holocaust Museum highlighting rising security costs and calls for national Holocaust education standards.

By Tertius News AI Desk 1 outlet · 2 articles Version 1 Coverage Jul 19–27, 2026 Published Aug 14

Lead

The Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion has returned to Sydney for its sixth hearing block, focusing on how education and policy frameworks can enhance social cohesion across government, workplaces, healthcare, schools, and the arts. The commission, which sits after two weeks in Melbourne, is hearing evidence on practical measures to tackle antisemitism, with Holocaust education in schools emerging as a key theme.

Coverage comparison

ABC Australia reported that the commission will consider education and policy frameworks for government decision-making and workplaces, as well as the healthcare sector, schools, and the arts. Witnesses listed to give evidence on Tuesday include Rabbi Mendel Kastel, CEO of Jewish House; Breann Fallon, CEO of the Melbourne Holocaust Museum; and Clare Sharp, Head of Immigration at the Department of Home Affairs.

A separate ABC report detailed the Melbourne Holocaust Museum's experiences of hate, including hateful comments that have caused distress to staff and volunteers. The museum's security budget has risen from $19,000 in 2020 to $291,000 in 2025, prompting the installation of bollards and comprehensive CCTV systems. CEO Breann Fallon described a constant need for alertness, saying staff cannot leave their cars without looking around.

The commission has received a submission from education sector veteran David Gonski about the work of the Antisemitism Education Taskforce, which was established following the Bondi Beach terror attack. The taskforce's interim report announced the development of a "social cohesion hub" for schools and teachers, costing $6 million over five years to maintain. Counsel assisting Zelie Heger SC indicated Mr Gonski would appear at the inquiry to discuss the work.

Key claims

The Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion is investigating ways to tackle hate, including through education and policy frameworks.
Rabbi Mendel Kastel, Breann Fallon, and Clare Sharp are listed to give evidence to the commission.
David Gonski's submission on the Antisemitism Education Taskforce has been received, and the taskforce has announced a "social cohesion hub" for schools.
University student Maya Hockey told the commission about her experiences of antisemitism at public and Christian high schools in Sydney, advocating for comprehensive Holocaust education and visits to institutions like the Sydney Jewish Museum.
The commission has heard from healthcare workers about antisemitism experienced or observed in the workplace.
The Melbourne Holocaust Museum has been subjected to hateful comments, with staff distress and a volunteer unable to finish a shift after reading a guest book comment.
The museum's security budget rose from $19,000 in 2020 to $291,000 in 2025, with bollards and CCTV installed.
The museum offers outreach programs to educate adults on the Holocaust and strengthen workplace culture.
Breann Fallon has called for a national mandated standard for Holocaust education and dedicated funding for institutions like the museum.

Perspectives

Breann Fallon, CEO, Melbourne Holocaust Museum

Dr Fallon has highlighted the personal toll of antisemitism on staff and volunteers, describing a constant sense of alertness. She has called for a national mandated standard for Holocaust education and dedicated funding, arguing that education is critical to preventing hate.

David Gonski, education sector veteran

Mr Gonski's submission to the commission focuses on the Antisemitism Education Taskforce, which has developed a "social cohesion hub" for schools. The taskforce's work is positioned as a practical measure to combat antisemitism through education.

Maya Hockey, university student

Ms Hockey has told the commission of her experiences of antisemitism at school, and believes education plays a critical role in quashing hate speech. She noted positive changes in student behaviour after a school trip to the Sydney Jewish Museum.

Temporal context

The commission is in its sixth hearing block, having sat in Melbourne for the previous two weeks. The Antisemitism Education Taskforce was established in the wake of the Bondi Beach terror attack, and the museum's security concerns have escalated since that event.

How this outlet told it

ABC Australia as of Jul 27, 2026, 8:01 PM UTC

Framing: Investigating antisemitism in Australia — Informative and objective

Facts Included:

The Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion is investigating ways to tackle hate
The commission will consider education and policy frameworks for government decision-making and workplaces
The CEO of Jewish House, Rabbi Mendel Kastel, and the CEO of Melbourne Holocaust Museum, Breann Fallon, will give evidence to the commission
A submission from education sector veteran David Gonski about the work of the Antisemitism Education Taskforce was received by the commission
The taskforce announced the development of a 'social cohesion hub' for schools and teachers to combat antisemitism
University student Maya Hockey told the commission about her experience with antisemitism at public and Christian high schools in Sydney
The commission has also heard from healthcare workers about antisemitism they received or observed in the workplace

Read the source article →

ABC Australia as of Jul 19, 2026, 7:46 PM UTC

Framing: Melbourne Holocaust Museum experiences hate and seeks solutions — Emotive and persuasive

Facts Included:

The Melbourne Holocaust Museum has been subjected to hateful comments causing distress to its staff
The museum's budget for security rose from $19,000 in 2020 to $291,000 in 2025
The museum has installed bollards and comprehensive CCTV systems as part of security upgrades
The museum offers outreach programs to educate adults on the Holocaust and strengthen workplace culture
The museum's CEO, Breann Fallon, has called for a national mandated standard for Holocaust education and dedicated funding for places like the museum

Read the source article →

What was claimed, and who backed it

Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.

Claim	Confidence	Status
ClaimThe Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion is investigating ways to tackle hate.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via ABC Australia as of Jul 27, 2026, 8:01 PM UTC
ClaimThe commission will consider education and policy frameworks for government decision-making and workplaces.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via ABC Australia as of Jul 27, 2026, 8:01 PM UTC
ClaimThe CEO of Jewish House, Rabbi Mendel Kastel, and the CEO of Melbourne Holocaust Museum, Breann Fallon, will give evidence to the commission.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via ABC Australia as of Jul 27, 2026, 8:01 PM UTC
ClaimA submission from education sector veteran David Gonski about the work of the Antisemitism Education Taskforce was received by the commission.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via ABC Australia as of Jul 27, 2026, 8:01 PM UTC
ClaimThe taskforce announced the development of a 'social cohesion hub' for schools and teachers to combat antisemitism.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via ABC Australia as of Jul 27, 2026, 8:01 PM UTC
ClaimUniversity student Maya Hockey told the commission about her experience with antisemitism at public and Christian high schools in Sydney.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via ABC Australia as of Jul 27, 2026, 8:01 PM UTC
ClaimThe commission has also heard from healthcare workers about antisemitism they received or observed in the workplace.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via ABC Australia as of Jul 27, 2026, 8:01 PM UTC
ClaimThe Melbourne Holocaust Museum has been subjected to hateful comments causing distress to its staff.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via ABC Australia as of Jul 19, 2026, 7:46 PM UTC
ClaimThe museum's budget for security rose from $19,000 in 2020 to $291,000 in 2025.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via ABC Australia as of Jul 19, 2026, 7:46 PM UTC
ClaimThe museum has installed bollards and comprehensive CCTV systems as part of security upgrades.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via ABC Australia as of Jul 19, 2026, 7:46 PM UTC
ClaimThe museum offers outreach programs to educate adults on the Holocaust and strengthen workplace culture.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via ABC Australia as of Jul 19, 2026, 7:46 PM UTC
ClaimThe museum's CEO, Breann Fallon, has called for a national mandated standard for Holocaust education and dedicated funding for places like the museum.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via ABC Australia as of Jul 19, 2026, 7:46 PM UTC

Transparency & Audit Trail

1 outlet · 2 articles consulted: ABC Australia 12 claims extracted Version 1 Written 2026-08-14