'Enough is enough', beefed up laws to crackdown on hate

Vilification protections will be expanded to disabled and LGBTIQ people and new criminal offences created to crack down on deepening hate and division. Flanked by religious, community and equality leaders, Victoria's Premier Jacinta Allan and Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes confirmed changes to anti-vilification and social cohesion laws on Tuesday. Ms Allan said the legislation would crack down on people who try to whip up hatred against others and make it easier for police to lay charges. "It will keep us safe from vilification and hate in public, on our streets, in our workplaces, in our parks and the corridors of universities," she told reporters at state parliament. "It will also help keep us united against that American-style division that is starting to creep more and more into our community, into our dialogue, into our society." Victorians are already protected from vilification based on their race or religion under the Racial and Religious Tolerance Act but not covered for other reasons. The bill, introduced to the lower house on Tuesday, will extend those protections to disability, gender identity, sex and sexual orientation. People associated with someone with one of those protected attributes, such as the parent of a disabled child, will also be granted the same protections. Two new criminal offences will be placed in the Crimes Act, making it easier to prove serious vilification in public, private or online. The offences cover inciting hatred, serious contempt, revulsion or severe ridicule against another person or group based on a protected attribute, as well as threatening physical harm or property damage for the same reason. Breaching the threat offence would result in a maximum penalty of five years in prison and three years for incitement, although the latter comes with a new "political expression" defence. Current exceptions for genuine religious, academic, artistic, public interest or scientific reasons remain but Ms Symes warned religion could not be used as a "cloak for unabated abuse". Under the bill, police will no longer be required to ask for permission from the Director of Public Prosecutions to charge someone over the age of 18 with serious vilification. Existing civil protections will also be strengthened to provide more options for people to seek remedy and resolution if harmed by vilification. Ms Symes said all suggested changes from a department overview paper were adopted and the bill was the result of 18 months of listening to the concerns of Muslim, Jewish and LGBTIQ people. Police separated pro-Israel and pro-Palestine groups outside a synagogue in the southeast Melbourne suburb of Caulfield North on Monday night. A small number of pro-Palestine activists turned up to protest a talk organised by the Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council that included former Israeli justice minister Ayelet Shaked, whose visa into Australia was reportedly rejected. A 39-year-old Brunswick East man was arrested and is expected to be charged with breaching the peace and failing to move on. There has also been a series of incidents involving neo-Nazis across Victoria in recent years. Rabbi Gabi Kaltmann said people on the streets of Melbourne's CBD and across Victoria felt emboldened to have a go at minority groups lately. "They feel that they can get away with vilifying bigotry, racism, all types of phobias," he said. "Today the Allan government says enough is enough." The criminal law changes are expected come into effect about six months after parliament passes the bill, while the civil reforms will take longer to roll out. Lifeline 13 11 14 Fullstop Australia 1800 385 578