Canavan says hate-group listing would give home affairs excessive power

Nationals senator Matt Canavan told the ABC’s Radio National Breakfast he opposed the bill’s broad hate-group listing, saying it would give the home affairs department “way too much power” to ban groups and that “as the bill is drafted, I’m voting against it”.

Canavan questioned whether measures could see groups calling for a boycott of Israeli products classified as hate groups and said he would have preferred “much, much more time” for a proper inquiry. He warned against laws that might “weaponise words like hate” and said his perspective draws a line at where someone is inciting “physically violent acts”.

Attorney-general Michelle Rowland rejected Canavan’s characterisation, saying the listing “isn’t novel” and branches off the existing terror-group framework, that groups on the list can be constantly reviewed and removed, and that drafting involved close consultation with Jewish representatives. Home affairs minister Tony Burke said the laws “won’t be as strong as what the government want them to be” but that talks with the Coalition were “really close”. The government has already dropped anti-vilification provisions from the package.

The Coalition party room is meeting this morning to decide its position, and the two bills are due to be introduced when parliament begins sitting today, with time described as tight and further debate expected in the chamber.

Key Topics

Politics, Matt Canavan, Hate Group Listing, Home Affairs Department, Michelle Rowland, Tony Burke