Hate speech bill criticised
The legislation seeks to expand anti-vilification laws and make incitement of hatred or physical threats a criminal offence carrying a sentence of up to five years in jail.
The Victorian government’s proposed anti-vilification laws have been criticised by Jewish organisations concerned its “genuine political purpose” defence would undermine its ability to counter antisemitism, as those promoting hatred against Jews could claim it is against “Zionism”.
In a letter to all Victorian MPs on Monday – the presidents of the Jewish Community Council of Victoria (JCCV), Zionism Victoria, the Executive Council of Australian Jewry and the Zionist Federation of Australia welcomed the bill but called for the “removal of the genuine political purpose defence”, contending, “If legislated, this will become a catch-all defence that leaves aspects of these laws unworkable and ineffective.”
The letter added, “And if the Proposed Defence is legislated, the Bill will in effect transform the accused in any prosecution for hate speech into a cause celebre – the courtroom will become a platform for extreme racial hatred and its supposed political ‘justifications’.”
Caulfield MP David Southwick commented: “If anything, passing this bill without amendments could make a bad situation worse and green-light some of the recent hate that we have seen against the Jewish community.”
The legislation seeks to expand anti-vilification laws and make incitement of hatred or physical threats a criminal offence carrying a sentence of up to five years in jail.
Meanwhile, the JCCV has released a new report “Defining Antisemitism: The Victorian Experience”, to explain how the Jewish community defines antisemitism, what Zionism is and the intersection of antisemitism and anti-Zionism.
Written with support from the Victorian government, the report is designed to be used by parliamentarians, policy makers, law enforcement, the media, educational institutions and workplaces.
“In the JCCV’s recent interactions with policy makers and law enforcement, it became clear that there was a lack of understanding about what Jewish people define as antisemitism,” JCCV CEO Naomi Levin said.
The report concludes, “The IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism is the only definition to receive widespread and mainstream support from both within and outside of Jewish communities around the world, including in Victoria. As such it is the preferred definition used by the Victorian Jewish community.”
The JCCV will hold a panel discussion about the report on February 17 at 7.30pm.
Register for the panel: events.humanitix.com/jccv-plenum-february-2025
View/download the report: jccv.org.au
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