Australia Passes New Anti-Hate Speech and Gun Control Laws

MELBOURNE, Australia – On Tuesday, Australia’s parliament approved new laws aimed at combating hate speech and enhancing gun control. These measures were proposed following the tragic shooting that took place during a Jewish festival in Sydney last month, which resulted in the deaths of 15 individuals. Authorities have indicated that the attack was linked to the Islamic State group.

The firearms legislation introduces stricter regulations on gun ownership and establishes a buyback program funded by the government to reimburse those who must relinquish their firearms.

Moreover, the anti-hate speech laws will ban organizations that do not align with Australia’s classification of terrorist entities. This includes groups like Hizb Tahrir, which has already faced bans in several other nations.

Initially, there was a plan for a single piece of legislation, but the government decided to separate these issues into two distinct bills, which were presented to the House of Commons on Tuesday.

Both bills were approved in the House of Commons, where the center-left Labor party holds a majority. The gun control bill passed the Senate with a 38-26 vote despite no majority party, while the anti-hate speech measure was subsequently approved by a vote of 38 to 22 in the 76-seat Senate.

Earlier, Home Secretary Tony Burke addressed parliament, highlighting that the alleged gunman, Sajid Akram, 50, and his son, Naveed Akram, 24, would have been prohibited from gun ownership under these new regulations.

During a shooting at a Hanukkah celebration in Bondi Beach on December 14, Sajid was fatally shot by police while using a legally owned firearm. His son is facing multiple serious charges, including 15 counts of murder and one count of terrorism related to the incident.

Burke noted that Sajid, born in India, would have been unable to possess a gun due to his non-citizen status, and Naveed was also banned following scrutiny by the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) in 2019 due to suspected extremist connections.

“In our response to anti-Semitic terrorist acts, we must address both the motives and the methods,” Burke explained to Congress. “We’re confronting individuals filled with extreme anti-Semitic views who had access to weapons that should not have been in their hands.”

ASIO has been assigned the responsibility of determining which hate groups will be prohibited under the new anti-hate speech regulations. The National Socialist Network, a known neo-Nazi organization, has stated its intent to disband to avoid the repercussions of the law.

However, the opposition, represented by the People’s Party, expressed concerns about the anti-hate speech bill, arguing it could threaten free speech rights.

“We need to modify this law to ensure it doesn’t inadvertently limit the rights and freedoms of Australians and the Jewish community,” remarked Nationals leader David Littleproud in a statement.

Parliament was scheduled to reconvene in February but met earlier due to the recent mass shooting, the deadliest since 1996.

In that year, a gunman claimed 35 lives in Tasmania, leading to the implementation of stricter gun laws that significantly curtailed public access to rapid-fire weapons. Since then, the government has facilitated the buyback of around 700,000 guns.

Nonetheless, Tasmania, Queensland, and the Northern Territory have resisted the federal initiative to purchase new firearms, with states and territories covering half the costs involved.

Mr. Burke indicated that discussions with states and territories regarding buybacks would continue.