Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has recalled federal parliament for urgent sittings next week to debate legislation introducing tougher hate speech laws and the largest gun buyback programme since the Port Arthur massacre, in response to the recent terror attack at Bondi Beach.
The bill, to be debated on 19 and 20 January instead of the scheduled return on 3 February, includes a new racial vilification offence, measures to crack down on 'hate preachers', and provisions allowing groups to be designated as prohibited hate groups. Offenders driven by extremism would have that motivation factored into their sentencing, while the Home Affairs Minister would gain new powers to cancel or refuse visas.
Mr Albanese denied the move was an attempt to wedge opposition parties over gun ownership. "The terrorists at Bondi beach had hatred in their minds, but guns in their hands. This law will deal with both," he said. The Attorney General, Michelle Rowland, described the package as "the toughest hate laws Australia has ever seen", adding it would specifically target those who spread hatred and disrupt social cohesion.
The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, said she would consider the legislation but warned against playing politics with the response to Bondi. She expressed deep scepticism about combining multiple complex and unrelated policy areas in a single bill, accusing the prime minister of focusing on his own political interests. One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce called for the new laws to include a ban on burning the Australian flag.
Mr Albanese said all parties would have a week to consider the legislation and that he expected it to pass the Senate by the evening of 20 January. The government has consulted Jewish groups, with Mr Albanese speaking to Peter Wertheim of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, who welcomed the tightening of the laws. Parliament will also pass condolence motions for the 15 people killed at Bondi, while states including Tasmania have insisted the federal government should fully fund the buyback plan.
