ECAJ urges Coalition not to reject bill despite shortcomings

Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Peter Wertheim has urged the Coalition not to reject the federal government’s anti-hate legislation despite its shortcomings, saying the defeat of the bill would be “a retrograde step”.

Wertheim’s intervention on Thursday came as opposition leader Sussan Ley signalled the Liberals would not back the “unsalvageable” hate crime and gun control reforms.

“Some of the Opposition’s criticisms of the Bill are valid and repeat concerns which we ourselves have expressed about the Bill’s shortcomings. However, there are also some important positives in the Bill, including the introduction of a new listing regime to proscribe extremist hate organisations,” Wertheim said.

“The ECAJ would urge the Coalition not to allow the perfect to become the enemy of the good. By all means seek to amend the Bill to remove its shortcomings, but a wholesale rejection of the Bill would not at all be warranted. In our view, the defeat of the Bill would be a retrograde step.”

Wertheim said the entire history of legislative reform on the issue had been one of incremental steps towards achieving the effective proscription of speech that deliberately promotes hatred of people based on their race, nationality or ethnic origin.