Cabinet documents on funding for counterterrorism agencies in the lead up to the Bondi massacre will be made available to the royal commission, despite a federal government bid to keep them secret.
The federal government made a public interest immunity claim to stop the Royal Commission on Anti-Semitism and Social Cohesion from accessing documents that concerned the funding levels of ASIO before the December terror attack.
The claim was made following advice from the prime minister's department to protect the cabinet process.
But in a ruling, royal commissioner Virginia Bell said the documents would be needed as part of her inquiry.
She said the documents would not be released publicly but would still form a critical part of the commission's work.
