Senior Jewish figures in Australia have issued a stark warning to the nation's political leaders, urging them to forge a last-minute compromise on new hate speech laws. The call comes after the Australian government decided to split a contentious bill, dropping proposed measures that would have criminalised serious vilification.
Disappointment Over Dropped Vilification Offence
Peter Wertheim, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, expressed profound disappointment that the planned serious vilification offence was abandoned. The government announced it was dividing the draft legislation, which was crafted in response to the Bondi Beach terror attack on 14 December that killed 15 people at a Jewish Hanukah event.
"We are disappointed there will not be a serious vilification offence and very concerned at the message this will send," Wertheim stated on Sunday. He questioned how much worse the situation must become before the nation tackles the deliberate promotion of antisemitic hatred, which he described as being at the heart of the problem.
Wertheim directly implored Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Sussan Ley to thrash out a deal on new protections immediately, highlighting the ongoing risk to the Jewish community.
Political Blame and Rushed Process
The decision to pause the bill's most controversial elements—those covering vilification and intimidation—followed strong opposition from both the left and right of politics. This leaves other measures, including new gun control powers, immigration authorities, and a scheme to designate extremist organisations, set to pass with Greens support during a special parliamentary sitting.
Both major parties have blamed each other for what has been criticised as a rushed legislative process. Jonathon Duniam, the shadow home affairs minister, accused the government of having "completely stuffed this up." He argued that proper consultation with all communities and parties should have occurred weeks ago, rather than in this eleventh-hour scramble.
Labor's Senate manager, Finance Minister Katy Gallagher, challenged Sussan Ley to unite her party and support the legislation, recalling Ley's initial offer of support after the Bondi attack. "This is a day where she needs to unite her party and put Australians first," Gallagher said.
Divergent Community Views and Next Steps
While Jewish leaders pushed for the vilification laws, the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (Afic) welcomed the pause on the hate speech provisions. Afic president Rateb Jneid slammed the rushed process and warned that the proposed rules for designating hate organisations were dangerous, relying on secret evidence and political discretion.
"This is not how a democratic country should define or punish hate," Jneid asserted, calling for the legislation to be redrafted.
The elements of the bill that are proceeding include significant gun law reforms, representing the largest buyback scheme since the Port Arthur massacre. The reforms will toughen rules on gun imports, create new offences for online material related to manufacturing firearms, and require intelligence agency background checks for firearm licence applicants.
The government will also gain powers to ban groups like neo-Nazi organisations and Hizb ut-Tahrir, and to revoke visas for people with extremist views. Parliament will first hear condolence motions for the Bondi attack victims on Monday, before considering the two remaining bills on Tuesday.
