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Dominic Giannini and Jacob Shteyman

Hate database fast-tracked after Bondi terror attack

A national database to track and tackle hate crimes has been fast-tracked after the Bondi massacre. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS)

A national database has been launched to help law enforcement agencies track and tackle hate crimes less than two weeks after Australia's worst terrorist attack.

The first phase of the database, which is up and running after being announced in January, only deals with convictions but will be broadened to track charges as well.

Sharing information across jurisdictions and putting hate-crime data in one place for the first time would give governments a metric to assess whether their efforts were making a difference, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said on Wednesday.

Federal Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke
Tony Burke says the national data base will allow information to be shared across jurisdictions. (Dominic Giannini/AAP PHOTOS)

"This allows us, over time, to be able to look at the effectiveness of how changes in the laws are working, but also to be able to look at the parts of Australia where hate crimes are becoming more pronounced," he told ABC radio.

The database was fast-tracked after the Bondi massacre of December 14, when two Islamic State-inspired gunmen killed 15 people at a Jewish festival celebrating the first night of Hanukkah.

The opposition, Jewish leaders and a handful of Labor backbenchers have urged the government to call a national royal commission into the attack, arguing a planned NSW-led inquiry would be insufficient to probe the deadliest terror attack on Australian soil.

But the Albanese government has resisted the calls, arguing a royal commission will take years and an already announced review of intelligence and law enforcement agencies will be quicker to report and ensure the safety of the community.

People continue to bring flowers to the Bondi Beach promenade
The Albanese government is resisting pressure to have a royal commission into the terrorist attack. (Dean Lewins/AAP PHOTOS)

Liberal senator James McGrath said a royal commission was needed to examine broader circumstances leading to the massacre, including "a rising cancerous tide of anti-Semitism".

Renowned pollster Kos Samaras warned partisanship around issues like the royal commission and action to combat anti-Semitism risked turning off voters.

Having also been roundly criticised by the Jewish community and his political opponents after the Bondi attack, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's net performance rating dropped 15 points to negative nine, according to a Resolve poll published in Nine newspapers.

But Opposition Leader Sussan Ley's performance rating also dropped, down seven points to negative four after her political attacks on Labor.

Sussan Ley
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has criticised the government over efforts to stamp out anti-Semitism. (Dean Lewins/AAP PHOTOS)

"Australians don't want a partisan political debate on this, they want a response that's unified, that reassures them they're going to be safe," Mr Samaras told AAP.

But the jury was still out on whether people would see Mr Albanese as having done enough to keep them safe from hate groups, he said. 

"If his government deals with these groups swiftly, that would go a long way to convincing Australians the response is commensurate to the events," Mr Samaras said.

Ms Ley has refused to apologise for her "passion", including comments accusing Labor frontbencher Penny Wong of not shedding any tears over the attack.

hate crimes
The federal government will keep a national database of hate crimes and related incidents. (Con Chronis/AAP PHOTOS)

Mr Albanese noted previous crises like the Port Arthur massacre had been met with a bipartisan response, labelling the politicisation of the attack inappropriate.

Mr Samaras said Australia wasn't like the US, as a majority of people backed gun reform and didn't want to see partisan theatre.

Mr Albanese has invited Israeli President Isaac Herzog to visit Australia after expressing his "profound shock and dismay" over the Bondi attack during a phone conversation.

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