The war in Gaza has reopened a debate over hate speech in Australia. Jewish leaders say Labor’s new watered-down hate crimes laws fall short.
The peak body for Jewish Australians says Labor’s new hate crimes bill will not protect them from antisemitic slurs or threatening behaviour as tensions flare over the war in Gaza.tabled in parliament on Thursday includes new criminal penalties for “directly threatening force or violence” towards minority groups.
“Criminal prosecutions will still not be possible for the kind of ugly and menacing behaviour that occurred in October 2023 on the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House when“Nor will it be possible to prosecute hate preachers who have called for a ‘final solution’ against ‘the Jews’, and described Jews collectively as innately ‘bloodthirsty’, ‘treacherous’, ‘criminals’ and ‘monsters’.“Hopefully, the Senate inquiry into the new bill will highlight these deficiencies and lead to further reforms.
Dreyfus on Thursday said robust discussions about diverse views and opinions were necessary for a vibrant and effective democracy. “The new offences will address a gap in Commonwealth laws by providing law enforcement with the capacity to address conduct which involves a direct threat from one person to another,” Dreyfus said.Shadow attorney-general Michaelia Cash said the Coalition would look at the laws carefully, given it had pushed for the government to deal with an “abhorrent rise in antisemitic attacks”.
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