NSW Neo-Nazi crackdown
NSW is set to ban Nazi conduct in public, introducing harsh penalties in response to the recent rally.
Persons engaging in Nazi conduct could face up to two years in prison under new laws in NSW.
The Crimes and Summary Offences Amendment Bill 2025, introduced into Parliament on Wednesday, will prohibit conduct indicating support for Nazi ideology by invoking imagery or characteristics associated with Nazism without reasonable excuse in public.
It follows the neo-Nazi rally outside state parliament earlier this month.
“The deplorable stunt we saw outside NSW Parliament has no place in our society,” Attorney-General Michael Daley said.
“We are giving police and the courts additional powers to hold Nazi extremists to account for their abhorrent views.”
Under the reforms, anyone engaging in Nazi conduct will face up to a year’s imprisonment or a maximum fine of $11,000. Stronger penalties, up to two years’ imprisonment or a $22,000 fine, will apply to anyone committing the offence near a synagogue, Jewish school or the Sydney Jewish Museum.
While Nazi symbols are already banned in NSW, the rally on November 9, where neo-Nazis unfurled a banner reading “Abolish the Jewish Lobby” and chanted Hitler Youth slogans, highlighted the need to strengthen current laws.
The bill will introduce new powers allowing police to order perpetrators to take down suspected Nazi symbols. Refusing to follow this direction without reasonable excuse will become an offence punishable by a maximum fine of $2200 or up to three months’ imprisonment.
The amendments will also clarify that people can be charged with these offences even if a public assembly is authorised. This includes the offence of inciting racial hatred.
NSW Jewish Board of Deputies president David Ossip “wholeheartedly” welcomed the proposed amendments.
“The Nazi ideology and the growth of white supremacist groups do not merely endanger communal safety and cohesion but are fundamentally subversive to the values and structures of our democracy,” he said.
“These amendments, should they pass into law, are a welcome step in ensuring that the despicable scenes witnessed outside NSW Parliament House are never able to be repeated.”
The government will refer the amendments for consideration by the Legislative Assembly Committee on Law and Safety.