Australian Jewish peak body urges Coalition to support hate speech bill with amendments

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) has urged the Coalition to support the government’s hate speech bill and asked opposition leader Sussan Ley to rethink her opposition, ECAJ co‑chief executive Peter Wertheim said on Thursday.

Ley has signalled the Coalition is likely to oppose the bill when parliament resumes on Monday, prompting claims of hypocrisy from the government. Wertheim said some of the opposition’s criticisms are valid but that the bill also contains important positives, including "the introduction of a new listing regime to proscribe extremist hate organisations."

Wertheim warned a wholesale rejection would be unwarranted and urged amendments rather than defeat, saying "the perfect to become the enemy of the good." He described the bill’s failure to pass as a "retrograde step," said the status quo is no longer tolerable after the antisemitic terrorist attack in Bondi, and added: "We need legislative reform now even if it is less than ideal." It is not yet known whether the Coalition will change course or if the bill will pass when parliament returns.

Key Topics

Politics, Ecaj, Sussan Ley, Peter Wertheim, Hate Speech Bill, Coalition