Australia Enacts New Laws to Curb Sweeping Hate Crime
Australia's lower house and upper house voted in favor of the Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Criminal and Migration Laws) Bill 2026 and the Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Firearms and Customs Laws) Bill 2026.
The hate crime legislation advanced with modifications incorporating references to "the promotion of violence" within hate group definitions, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
The new framework seeks to criminalize additional forms of what authorities classify as "hateful conduct" while granting expanded authority to cancel or deny visas.
Lawmakers introduced a fresh offense criminalizing the incitement or promotion of hatred based on race, color, or national or ethnic origin, with exemptions granted for direct quotations from texts central to religions.
The companion firearms legislation mandates enhanced background screening for gun license holders, with security agencies implementing broader information-sharing protocols, a Melbourne-based media reported.
Authorities will impose more rigorous "fit and proper" assessments on firearm license candidates, while restricting gun import privileges exclusively to Australian citizens under tighter regulations governing permissible weapon categories.
A national gun buyback scheme will also be established under the new laws.
Australian faith leaders had previously pressed the government to revise the legislation, expressing apprehension regarding religious freedom and freedom of expression protections.
The legislative action follows the Dec. 14 Bondi Beach attack, in which a man and his son opened fire during a Hanukkah festival, killing 15 people and wounding 42 others. Police described the incident as a "terrorist attack."
One of the two shooters was killed, while the other was critically injured.
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