The Albanese Government has been forced into a major backdown in its response to the Bondi attack, declaring it will now split its legislation in two and bring separate bills for gun laws and hate speech. Source: Sydney Morning Herald.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Saturday that the most contentious element of the original bill, provisions to stamp out antisemitism with new anti-vilification laws, did not have enough support in the Senate.
That is because earlier in the day, in a blow to the Government’s political fortunes, the Greens announced they would join the Coalition in opposing Labor’s original omnibus bill, which included laws to tackle firearms, hate speech, migration issues and racial vilification.
“We will only proceed with measures that have the support of the Parliament,” Mr Albanese said.
The Government has recalled Parliament to sit from Monday, and in the Senate it needs the support of either the Liberals or the Greens to enact its changes.
Labor’s original bill included new powers to set up a national gun buyback, toughen gun importation rules, ban hate groups and changes to migration law that would allow the Immigration Minister to refuse or cancel visas if a person had associated with hate groups or made hateful comments. These elements will be retained in the two bills to be brought to Parliament from today.
However, the Government has ditched contentious anti-vilification provisions, which included a new offence for promoting hatred that various civil society groups warned would curtail free speech.
The Prime Minister said the Greens had engaged in good faith with the Government, after leader Larissa Waters confirmed that her party would back only the gun reforms, which are now expected to pass Parliament.
Ms Waters said the Greens would not support the hate speech and racial vilification measures.
However, Mr Albanese said the federal Opposition had been hypocritical in its response to date, given it had urged that Parliament be recalled to deliver reform and then rejected his bill.
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley criticised Mr Albanese for recanting on his previous claim that the changes could not be adjusted and criticised the parliamentary deadline for dealing with them, which she said prevented community voices from being heard.
FULL STORY
Labor backs down on post-Bondi changes as political support collapses (By Mike Foley and Nick Newling, Sydney Morning Herald)
