Hate speech banned in schools

The NSW Government has announced sweeping reforms to combat hate, including explicitly prohibiting hate speech by all school staff and strengthening councils’ powers to shut down unlawful places of worship operating as “factories of hate”.

All NSW school staff, including principals and school leaders, will be subject to strengthened conduct requirements that explicitly prohibit hate speech.

The reforms will come into effect immediately and apply across more than 3000 government, independent and Catholic schools, tightening rules governing the conduct of all school staff.

Hate speech will be explicitly prohibited in the codes of conduct set out by all school sectors and will apply to all members of school staff.

“Until now, the rules haven’t been clear enough,” said NSW Premier Chris Minns.

“Schools should be places where young people feel safe, respected and supported, not exposed to hate or extremism.

“These changes make it absolutely clear that hate speech has no place in any NSW classroom, from any staff member, in any school and it gives the regulator clear guidelines to act.”

The government will also introduce legislation into Parliament to strengthen councils’ enforcement powers to shut down unlawful places of worship.

“These reforms give councils another practical tool to stop unlawful premises being used to spread hate and intimidation,” Minns said.

Local government minister Ron Hoenig said: “Freedom of religion is a fundamental right in NSW but that freedom does not extend to operating unlawfully or putting community safety at risk and this legislation will make sure councils have strong powers to shut down unlawful places of worship manifesting hate.”

Meanwhile, the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies has welcomed the recommendation by the Legislative Assembly Committee on Law and Safety to ban the public use of the phrase “globalise the intifada”.

“Spirited public debate is always welcome, but there should be no place in NSW for language that glorifies violence,” the JBD said in a statement.

“A call for intifada, based on the historical meaning of the word, is effectively a call to murder Jews wherever you find them. Claims to the contrary are deceptive. The need to outlaw the phrase is particularly evident after the massacre of 14 December, when the intifada was globalised and brought to Bondi Beach.”