The Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion might miss key evidence after a former source for an Australian intelligence agency had his visa application denied.
The former source, known as Marcus, has information about the gunmen behind the Bondi massacre and is being sought as a witness by the royal commission investigating the attack.
Marcus previously claimed in ABC reports that he warned ASIO about the father-and-son pair, Sajid and Naveed Akram, six years before they carried out the mass shooting that killed 15 people on December 14.
The Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion wants to hear his evidence as it investigates the terror attack.
In a letter to the former source’s lawyers, the inquiry said it was willing for the correspondence to be provided to Australian officials as part of any visa application.
However, it noted that it would not be appropriate for the royal commission to directly assist him in securing a visa.
“We remain eager to facilitate a practical way of receiving your client’s proposed submission or taking a statement from him,” the letter reads.
“The information that your client has outlined to us at an appropriate level of generality clearly and directly engages the royal commission’s terms of reference.”
Marcus has lived overseas since 2023, when ASIO withdrew its support for his permanent residency.
Because of the sensitive nature of the information, it can be provided only in person or at an Australian embassy overseas.
Lawyers for Marcus say he cannot access an Australian embassy and is concerned about security risks.
They argue that his engagement with the royal commission needs to be protected by Australian law, which does not apply overseas.
In a rejection letter from the Department of Home Affairs, officials said they were “not satisfied the applicant has a genuine intention to stay temporarily in Australia”.
However, the officer noted that Marcus had previously travelled to Australia and complied with his visa conditions, which was given “some positive weight”.
Opposition home affairs spokesman Jonno Duniam said it was important that the royal commission had access to all the information it needed.
“If the government are serious about ensuring the commission gets the right outcome and, in doing so, has access to all the information it needs, then it should explain why it won’t grant a visa or, indeed, find ways to grant one,” he told ABC Radio on Thursday.
Several crossbenchers have said the needs of the royal commission should come first.
The Commission was in response to the massacre on 14 December 2025, when two Islamist gunmen opened fire during the Chanukah by the Sea celebration at Bondi Beach, killing 15 people and injuring more than 40 in Australia’s deadliest antisemitic terrorist attack.
The office of Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke was contacted by AAP for comment.
By Tess Ikonomou/AAP