Overview
- Using the phrases “from the river to the sea” or “globalise the intifada” to menace, harass or offend is now an offence in Queensland, punishable by up to two years in prison, covering spoken and written use.
- The law adds restrictions on hate symbols and creates offences for intimidation at places of worship, carrying penalties of up to seven years’ jail.
- Gun reforms in the package mandate Australian citizenship for new licence applicants, increase penalties for firearms offences, and create new offences for drive‑by shootings, with Queensland opting out of the national buyback.
- The bill passed with LNP and Katter support after Labor voted against the final reading over process and free‑speech concerns, as Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie accused Labor of antisemitism and supporting terrorists and then repeated the claims on Friday.
- The government removed a proposed broad attorney‑general power and instead wrote the two phrases into statute, while the Queensland Council for Civil Liberties signalled a potential High Court challenge and Labor sought an Audit Office probe into disputed crime‑victim data.