‘A stand against hateful rhetoric’
Tasmania will become the first state in Australia to ban the Nazi salute, sending a clear message that Nazi symbols and salutes are a breach of moral and community standards.
Tasmania will become the first state in Australia to ban the Nazi salute after legislation to ban Nazi symbols and gestures passed the state’s Legislative Council last week.
Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Elise Archer, said the nation-leading reforms send a very clear message that Nazi symbols and salutes are a breach of moral and community standards and are absolutely not welcome in Tasmania. “We strongly condemn any display of hate in our community, and I am very pleased to have personally driven these important reforms that will help us deliver a safer and more caring community for all,” she said.
Archer said the legislation also acknowledges the continued importance of the swastika to the Buddhist, Hindu and Jain communities, and clearly states that the display of a swastika in this context is not an offence.
Hobart Hebrew Congregation president Jeff Schneider expressed gratitude to the Tasmanian state government for crafting the legislation. He also lauded the support from Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) co-CEO Peter Wertheim during the process.
“The Jewish community has traditionally felt welcome in Tasmania, but local incidents such as the public display of a Nazi flag and antisemitic graffiti on Tasmania’s Parliament House shows the need to be vigilant,” he said.
“It is comforting that the government has taken a stand against this hateful rhetoric.”
Wertheim said the new Tasmanian legislation sets an example for other jurisdictions.
“It was a privilege for the ECAJ to work with our Tasmanian constituent, the Hobart Hebrew Congregation, in meetings with the Attorney-General’s office, to help achieve this outcome.
“In our view, the optimum approach to defining a Nazi symbol is that which has been adopted in the Tasmanian Bill, because it provides both a reasonable certainty of meaning, and the flexibility to allow the courts to determine the relevant facts in any given case,” Wertheim said.
“We remain concerned by the sunset provision in the new law but feel confident that the Tasmanian government will renew the legislation until the scourge of neo-Nazi activity is eradicated.”
In a separate announcement, Archer said Tasmania is also getting a Holocaust Education and Interpretation Centre at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG).
Archer said the state government has secured $2 million under the Commonwealth Community Development Grants Program for the centre.
“The centre will be situated in the Bond Store at TMAG, where the space will be transformed into an immersive audiovisual experience complemented by personal items from the local Jewish community,” she said.
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