Government announces full-time counter-terrorism coordinator

Senior national security figure Brendan Dowling has taken up the role of Australia’s first dedicated, full-time Counter-Terrorism Coordinator, a direct response to recommendations from the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion.

The federal government tabled its reply to the commission’s interim report in parliament this week, almost five months after the deadly antisemitic attack at the Chanukah by the Sea festival in Bondi Beach on 14 December 2025, which claimed 15 lives.

Dowling, a deputy secretary in the Department of Home Affairs with more than two decades of national security experience, was appointed in May 2026. He previously served as Australia’s Ambassador for Cyber Affairs and Critical Technology.

In the new position, he will lead national efforts on counter-terrorism, focusing on prevention and response to threats. This includes working closely with federal, state and territory police; intelligence agencies; policymakers; and communities to deliver a coordinated strategy against terrorism and violent extremism.

The appointment follows a key suggestion by Royal Commissioner Virginia Bell, the former High Court judge who led the interim report. She highlighted the need for a full-time coordinator after noting that the existing role, created in 2015, had been combined with other duties, such as countering foreign interference, which diluted its focus.

Writing on LinkedIn, Dowling stated, “It is a solemn duty to take on in the aftermath of the deadliest terrorist attack on Australian soil. I look forward to providing national leadership and coordination on all counter-terrorism matters.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese committed the government to implementing all relevant recommendations from the interim report, which was delivered on 30 April 2026 and contained 14 proposals, five of them classified. Among the public measures are improved security at high-risk Jewish community events, a review of joint counter-terrorism teams, updates to national handbooks and moves towards consistent firearms laws nationwide.

The commission found no critical shortcomings in current laws that stopped agencies from acting before or during the Bondi attack. It did, however, identify opportunities to strengthen coordination, intelligence sharing and resource decisions, topics set for closer examination in coming hearings.

Public hearings resume in Sydney on Monday 25 May. They will scrutinise the pre-attack security setting, the actions of agencies, planning for the Chanukah event and how intelligence on known persons is managed and distributed.

Dowling’s full-time role is designed to eliminate fragmented efforts across agencies, ensure better information flow and apply the hard lessons from Bondi to safeguard future events and vulnerable communities.

The appointment is particularly significant for the Jewish community, which has faced heightened antisemitic threats before and since the Bondi attack, as it aims to strengthen national coordination and better protect high-risk Jewish events and institutions in the future.