Overview
- Parliament has been recalled for Monday and Tuesday to debate an omnibus bill that lowers the bar to prosecute public conduct intending to promote or incite racial hatred, adds a gun buyback, expands visa cancellation powers and enables banning designated hate groups.
- Sussan Ley branded the draft "unsalvageable" as Coalition figures raised free‑speech and religious‑freedom concerns, with Nationals also opposing the firearms measures.
- The Greens say they will not back the bill in its current form, pressing for protections beyond race to cover other minorities and objecting to broader visa and hate‑group listing powers.
- Legal and civil‑liberties experts warn the 'promote' limb is vague and likely to face High Court scrutiny under the implied freedom of political communication, with limited defences that could chill social media and public debate.
- Jewish leaders support passing reform with amendments rather than rejection and have flagged a religious‑text exemption as a loophole, while the government says it is open to changes and notes a neo‑Nazi group has already disbanded under the proposed regime.