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Former Attorney-General Calls for Expanded Hate Speech Laws in Submission
A former federal attorney-general submitted a personal account to a royal commission urging broader criminal offences for hate speech and tighter limits on civilian gun ownership. The submission cites recent attacks on Jewish Australians and details abuse directed at the MP.
The Sydney Morning HeraldAudio version
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A former federal attorney-general submitted a detailed account to the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion calling for expanded hate speech laws and stricter gun ownership rules. The submission states that current laws, strengthened earlier this year, only address the most serious conduct involving threats or advocacy of violence.
It argues that extremist groups operate in a legal grey zone to recruit supporters and normalise hateful ideologies.
The submission also recommends tighter limits on the number of firearms an individual can possess unless a genuine need, such as farming or competitive shooting, is demonstrated. The former attorney-general oversaw 2023 laws that banned Nazi salutes in public and the public display of prohibited Islamic State symbols, and introduced new criminal offences for doxxing.
The commission is examining responses to rising antisemitism after a series of attacks, including last year’s Bondi terrorist attack on a Hanukkah festival that killed 15 people and injured more than 40. The submission recounts verbal abuse directed at the MP outside Melbourne’s State Library in April 2024 and repeated online accusations of divided loyalties and other antisemitic tropes.
It distinguishes between criticism of Israel and antisemitism, stating the line is crossed when Jewish Australians are collectively held responsible for actions of a foreign government.
