# What did they know? Secrets, silence and the Bondi failures

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Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-politics-australian-politics-news-analysis-commentary-711789/what-did-they-know-secrets-silence-and-the-bondi-failures.md
Podcast: [New Politics: Australian Politics, News, Analysis & Commentary](https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-politics-australian-politics-news-analysis-commentary-711789)
Published: 2026-05-07T21:00:02+00:00
Episode link: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/what-did-they-know-secrets-silence-and-the-bondi-failures--71908694
Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/71908694/np260508_mixdown_b.mp3
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Duration seconds: 2204

## Resource

Subscribe to New Politics for weekly briefings and full analysis: www.newpolitics.com.au In this episode, we examine the interim findings of the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion following the Bondi Beach attacks, exploring major questions surrounding ASIO, the Australian Federal Police and intelligence failures in Australia. We discuss allegations that the Bondi attackers had been monitored by ASIO since 2019, the parallels with the 2014 Lindt Café siege, and growing concerns about national security secrecy, surveillance powers, democratic accountability and civil liberties. We also analyse whether the Royal Commission’s focus on antisemitism and social cohesion risks shifting attention away from deeper institutional failures, while examining the broader debate around protest rights, free speech, pro-Palestine activism and the balance between security and democracy in Australian politics. #AUSPOL www.newpolitics.com.au Support New Politics: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/newpolitics Substack: https://newpolitics.substack.com Song listing: ‘La Femme d’Argent’, AIR.

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## Transcript

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