A collective contribution to strengthening Australia’s social cohesion 

A group of Australian civil society organisations has released its joint submission to the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion. The organisations are: 

  • Ballarat Foundation 
  • Collaboration for Impact 
  • The Ethics Centre 
  • Global Access Partners 
  • Welcoming Australia 
  • Menzies Leadership Foundation (Convenor) 

This work was supported by the Scanlon Foundation. 

The collective contribution: antisemitism as a stress test for Australian democracy 

The terrorist attack at Bondi on 14 December 2025 showed what happens when the conditions for social fracture are allowed to deepen without a sustained and coordinated response. 

When hatred of one community is permitted to take root in our institutions, our public discourse, or our streets, it signals a failure of the values that hold a diverse society together.  

The six organisations come to this Royal Commission not as advocates for a single community, but as organisations that understand how quickly the conditions that enable one form of hatred can create the conditions for others. Our shared interest is an Australia where difference is protected, not punished, and where the machinery of democratic life actively defends that principle. 

We do not claim to speak for the Jewish community. We have contributed because social cohesion is a shared responsibility, and organisations working in Australian communities have both a standing and an obligation to respond when the evidence is this clear. 

Our organisations have direct experience working in the communities that the Commission’s recommendations will need to reach and we come to this submission not only with a view on what must change but with evidence of what works, grounded in practice rather than theory.

We call for national mechanisms that connect and sustain work on social cohesion, while keeping communities and civil society central to its design and delivery.  

Five recommendations 

Our submission makes five interconnected recommendations: 

  • Establish a national social cohesion architecture 
  • Implement a longitudinal national measurement framework 
  • Introduce long-term pooled funding for social cohesion work 
  • Recognise and resource civil society as essential delivery infrastructure 
  • Invest in community-level cohesion infrastructure where it is currently absent 

Together, the recommendations seek to move Australia’s approach from isolated programs and crisis responses towards coordinated, preventive and sustained action. 

The organisations contributing to the submission are already undertaking much of the preventive and community-based work that its recommendations seek to strengthen. 

We are committed to working constructively with government on implementation and are available to provide further evidence and input as the Commission’s recommendations are developed into policy. 

From submission to sustained action 

The submission belongs to its endorsing organisations collectively and provides a shared platform for continued dialogue, advocacy and action. 

The collective process to develop this joint submission illustrates the value of bringing organisations together to test ideas, build shared understanding and strengthen the connections required for longer-term action. 

We will continue our individual and collective work to broaden participation, and help create the conditions for leadership on social cohesion to be distributed across communities and institutions throughout Australia. 

Strengthening social cohesion cannot be owned by one organisation. It will require a movement of people and institutions willing to work across difference, sustain relationships and act together for the greater good. 

Read the joint civil society submission here 

Menzies Leadership Foundation, on behalf of Ballarat Foundation, Collaboration for Impact, The Ethics Centre, Global Access Partners and Welcoming Australia.  

29th June 2026 

Contact:  Sarah Jenkins, Director, Communications and Engagement, Menzies Leadership Foundation.  

Sarah.jenkins@menziesfoundation.org.au.  

Additional information about the organisations 

Ballarat Foundation — a leading regional community foundation and a philanthropic, advocacy and community leadership organisation, supporting responses to social needs across central Victoria.  

Collaboration for Impact — a national not-for-profit organisation that seeks to make bridging and belonging for all central to how we live and lead in Australia.  

The Ethics Centre — a not-for-profit organisation developing and delivering innovative programs, services and experiences, designed to bring ethics to the centre of personal and professional life.  

Global Access Partners — a nonprofit independent institute for active policy that initiates and facilitates collaboration between government, industry, academia and civil society on complex economic, governance and social challenges and the implementation of practical solutions.  

Welcoming Australia — a national not-for-profit organisation and movement advancing communities where everyone belongs, thrives and shapes our shared future.  

Menzies Leadership Foundation — a non-partisan philanthropic foundation and system entrepreneur that encourages Australians to reflect on leadership, build their leadership capability and act collectively for the greater good. 

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Australia’s social cohesion depends on more than good intentions — it requires institutions, communities and leaders willing to confront hard truths together. Antisemitism is not a problem for one community to face alone; it is a national responsibility and a test of how strong our shared civic life truly is. The organisations leading this work are those willing to bring different perspectives into the room, test their thinking and act collectively for the greater good.

At the Menzies Leadership Foundation, this is precisely the kind of leadership we exist to support. Through our role in convening civil society around the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion, and through our broader Reimagining a Civil Australia initiative, we are helping build the shared understanding and collective capability Australia needs to strengthen civility and social cohesion for the long term. Connect with our Work.

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