Photo: ABC News/Jack Fisher
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday the government would seek to introduce new legislation to crack down on hate, after gunmen opened fire at a Jewish event in Sydney on Sunday, killing 15.
The interior ministry will be given new powers to cancel visas of those who spread hate.
Albanese said the laws were quite complex and the government needed to make sure the laws stacked up in any legal challenge.
Hate speech law changes announced Thursday would develop a regime for listing organisations whose leaders engage in hate speech.
The prime minister defended his government’s track record on hate speech law changes to date, but said more needed to be done.
“We want to also consult to make sure that there is broad support across the parliament for this.
“One of the tenets of antisemitism, the envoys have said across the board, needs to be to put it above politics as well. And we’re hoping that that’s achieved.”
Gunman Naveed Akram has been formally charged with 59 offences over the attack, which claimed 15 lives. A second gunman, Akram’s father Sajid, was shot dead by police at the scene.
Asked why he had not attended any of the funerals, he said he had been meeting with victims in their homes.
“I have met with the families and have spoken to them,” he said, adding he wanted to respect their wishes.
“I will continue to engage with the community.”
Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett, asked whether her job would have been easier if the changes had been made earlier, said there were “deficiencies, or the vulnerabilities” in the legislation.
“We’ve now had some time to work through that. And of course, we then provide advice back to the government on how the legislation is working,” she said.
The key challenge, she said, applied to the thresholds.
“We certainly welcome the reform around the thresholds.”
Meanwhile, the New South Wales parliament will be recalled before Christmas to deal with “urgent legislation” on firearms, Premier Chris Minns said.
‘Don’t need them’
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said people had often fallen just short of the legal threshold for prosecution.
Burke said penalties would be increased and aggravated offences included.
He said governments had not had the power to act on organisations which he said were trying to sow division.
“Today, we’re announcing that we’re shifting the threshold. We have no time for organisations where their mission is to hate Australia and to hate fellow Australians.
“There have been individuals who have managed to exploit a nation that had different principles of freedom of speech and have gone right to the limits of language that is clearly dehumanising, unacceptable, having no place in Australia, but have not quite crossed the threshold to violence.”
Burke will be given new powers to cancel and refuse visas on the grounds of antisemitism.
“I’ve made clear, on the balance of bigotry versus freedom of speech, I think Australians share my view that people who come here to hate, we just don’t need them.”
– RNZ / Reuters / ABC News
