A deal to pass the remnants of the Albanese Government’s hate law reforms appears within reach, despite ongoing debate within the Opposition as Parliament returns for day two of a special sitting called in response to the Bondi terror attack. Source: ABC News.
Liberal MPs gathered to discuss the draft laws at a party-room meeting in Canberra last night, after Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met to hash out an agreement that would see the laws pass today as the Government had planned.
A senior Liberal said there was a pathway for a deal on the changes to hate laws, with only a couple of issues remaining.
Labor had initially sought to push through its sweeping legislative response to the Bondi terror attack in a single bill that included updates to gun and hate laws.
But after both the Coalition and the Greens refused to back the legislation, Labor split the two issues into separate bills and dropped the most contentious element of its proposal to update hate laws – a new offence that would have made it illegal to promote or incite racial hatred.
Legal experts, religious leaders, the Coalition and the Greens had all raised concerns about the clause, including that it had the potential to hamper freedom of speech, while Jewish groups largely backed the proposal.
Remaining reforms include stronger deportation powers, tougher penalties for existing hate crimes perpetrated by preachers or leaders and a new process to ban groups that spread hate but are not captured as terrorist groups under existing law, such as neo-Nazi groups and Hizb ut-Tahrir.
The Liberal Party has agreed to a number of amendments to Labor’s bill, including stronger aggravated offences for so-called hate preachers to ensure visiting speakers are captured, mandatory two-year reviews of the new laws, a more targeted approach to the new hate group listing regime and a requirement that the Opposition leader is consulted on the listing and delisting of extremist groups.
Mr Albanese yesterday said the abandoned hate speech offence would not be revisited.
The separate package of gun law reform includes stricter checks during firearm licence applications and the establishment of a national gun buyback scheme.
FULL STORY
Labor and Coalition on path to deal on hate laws reform as Parliament deadline looms (By Maani Truu, Clare Armstrong and Tom Crowley, ABC News)
