Committee backs hate group ban

The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security has endorsed the government’s listing of Hizb ut-Tahrir as a prohibited hate group, concluding the organisation promotes hatred, normalises violence and poses a threat to Australia’s social cohesion.

Committee chair Senator Raff Ciccone tabled the report last Thursday, declaring “the days of organisations like Hizb ut-Tahrir operating freely in this country are over”.

“The evidence is unambiguous. This organisation has repeatedly praised attacks that would constitute hate crimes if committed on Australian soil,” he told the Senate.

Hizb ut-Tahrir became the first organisation listed under the prohibited hate group framework introduced in January 2026 following the Bondi massacre.

Senator Ciccone told The AJN the committee went through “a pretty rigorous scrutiny process” including scrutinising classified advice from security agencies.

The committee rejected arguments that the listing infringed on free speech.

“We have to draw a line somewhere,” he said. “We, as a parliament, do not believe that organisations whose primary role is wanting to spread hatred, that want to radicalise young people, that want to promote violence in our community and threaten our social cohesion, is worthy of being an organisation.”

Senator Ciccone said governments had a duty to protect social cohesion and Australians who call the country home.

“As a son of migrants, no different to the Jewish community, we are all migrants who have come to Australia for a better life. We want to get away from horrors that our families have encountered in the past,” he said.

“The moment that we allow people to undermine those freedoms, those values that we all cherish as Australians, organisations that promote hatred, extremist violence and ideology, we have to stand up to it and say no.”

Asked about the “Globalise the Intifada” chant, Senator Ciccone said: “My personal view is it’s a disgrace for people that do use it, and sadly, I think a lot of people that do use it don’t actually understand what it means.”

Senator Ciccone acknowledged criticism of the government’s response to antisemitism since October 7, 2023, but pointed to measures including appointing a Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, establishing the Royal Commission, and providing millions of dollars for security upgrades in the recent federal budget.