Key Takeaways
- The Australian federal government is considering stronger legal protections for religious groups, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ Australians.
- New hate speech laws are being drafted in response to the Bondi beach shootings and will be debated in parliament next week.
- The laws will provide protections against antisemitic rhetoric and other forms of hate speech targeting minority groups.
- The government is open to extending protections to other types of hate, including those based on disability, gender, and sexuality.
- The bill has prompted calls for wider laws to ban the promotion and incitement of hatred, in addition to speech that threatens minority groups.
Introduction to the New Hate Speech Laws
The Australian federal government is set to introduce new hate speech laws in response to the recent Bondi beach shootings. The laws, which will be debated in parliament next week, aim to provide stronger legal protections for religious groups, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ Australians. The bill includes new hate speech and anti-vilification laws, powers to formally designate groups as proscribed organisations, and provisions for the largest gun buyback scheme since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre. The government has stated that it will consider extending the protections to other types of hate once the current bill becomes law.
The Need for Broader Protections
The legislation being debated next week is expected to give protections against antisemitic rhetoric targeting Australian Jews, as well as other race groups including the Sikh community. However, some MPs and advocacy groups are calling for broader protections to be included in the bill. The independent MP Allegra Spender, whose electorate of Wentworth takes in Bondi beach and includes a large LGBTQ+ population, has called for wider hate speech protections. She plans to move amendments to extend the current bill to include protections for LGBTQ+ people, as well as those with disabilities. The Equality Australia legal director, Heather Corkhill, has also stated that LGBTQ+ people should have protections under the new bill, citing the alarming and deliberate attacks against the community.
Government Response to Calls for Broader Protections
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has stated that the government expects to do more work on hate speech laws in the future. When asked about other new hate laws, Albanese said that the government would have a process to look at other areas of hate speech once the current legislation is carried by parliament. The health minister, Mark Butler, has also flagged protections for other characteristics including disability, gender, and sexuality. The minister for multicultural affairs, Anne Aly, has stated that the government will consider more work once the current bill becomes law, saying that no one in Australia should be subjected to any type of hate.
Opposition to the Bill
Not all MPs are supportive of the bill, with several Coalition MPs pushing back on the legislation. Nationals MPs Matt Canavan and Bridget McKenzie have expressed concerns about the bill, with Canavan calling it "undemocratic, unconstitutional and so vague that they could easily be used to unjustly silence legitimate criticism of government policy". However, the Labor senator Raff Ciccone has urged MPs not to play politics with the bill, noting that it has support from the Jewish community. Ciccone stated that the bill is an important step in stamping out antisemitism and that all MPs should work together to achieve this goal.
The Way Forward
The government expects debate on the bill to wrap up by next Tuesday night. Once the bill becomes law, the government will consider extending the protections to other types of hate. The attorney general’s department has stated that the legislation currently being considered is based on provisions from the Racial Discrimination Act and is expected to extend protections to members of ethno-religious groups. The government’s commitment to considering broader protections is a positive step towards creating a more inclusive and safe society for all Australians. As the debate on the bill continues, it is essential that MPs prioritize the needs and concerns of minority groups and work towards creating a more comprehensive and effective framework for addressing hate speech and vilification.