The far-right of Australian politics and the LNP, with the support of the Murdoch Press, have had a field day during the summer break to foster a commitment against hate speech. The tragic events at Bondi have been fully exploited for political advantage without reference to the underlying mental health state of advocates of antisemitism.
The Albanese Government is responding productively by incorporating a ban on hate speech with new gun control legislation. The forthcoming legislative actions are still in a speculative phase and are likely to be amended in parliamentary processes (ABC News, 13 January 2026):
In short:
A draft of Labor’s new hate speech bill, seen by the ABC, creates a new federal offence making it illegal to publicly promote or incite racial hatred where the conduct would cause a reasonable person to feel intimidated, harassed or fear violence.
But it includes a narrow defence where the speech, writing or other form of public gesture is solely quoting religious texts for teaching or discussion.
What’s next?
Parliament has been recalled to sit for two days next week to debate the wide–ranging bill, which also includes changes to gun laws proposed in the wake of the Bondi attack.
A draft of the Combating Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism Bill, seen by ABC News creates a new federal offence making it illegal to publicly promote or incite racial hatred where the conduct would cause a reasonable person to feel intimidated, harassed or fear violence.
The legislation includes a narrow defence where the speech, writing or other form of public gesture was solely quoting religious texts for the purpose of religious teaching or discussion.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday used the Old Testament of the Bible to explain the carve out, saying the laws would set a “principles-based test” for conduct and speech that incited racial hatred toward another person or group.
“I encourage you to read the Old Testament and see what’s there and see if you outlaw that, what would occur,” he said.
“So, we need to be careful – we consulted with faith groups, not just with the Jewish community.
“We want to make sure there’s the broadest possible support for this legislation but we also want to make sure that there aren’t unintended consequences of the legislation.”
Our Prime Minister’s concerns about some of the edicts from the Old Testament are highly relevant.
The Old Testament justified the historical invasion of the seven nations of Canaan by the Kingdom of Israel in ancient times.
For cities outside the immediate Promised Land, Israel was commanded to offer terms of peace first. Only if the city refused were they to engage in military action (Deuteronomy 20:10-15). This is straight out of President Trump’s ultimatums to countries like Mexico and Venezuela in this latter-day exceptional era.
Later prophets like Isaiah and Hosea criticized “militarism” when it shifted from trusting in God to trusting in “chariots and horses” (Isaiah 31:1).
With the approach of Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, quotes from the Old Testament might fall into the category of hate speech as shown by these quotes from the Holiness Code of Leviticus:
- Leviticus 18:22: “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.”
- Leviticus 20:13: This verse repeats the prohibition but adds a legal penalty: “If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death.”
The cultural exceptionalism promoted in the Old Testament can be used to justify contemporary political excesses including multi-trillion-dollar spending on militarism and tolerance of the growing wealth divide in developed middle powers which fosters support for far-right political agendas as a diversionary response to social tensions.
Progressive Australian politics has taken a battering in the summer break. Before the break, Australian conservative politics was in disarray as the National Party abandoned commitment to zero carbon emission targets and Barnaby Joyce defected to One Nation from his New England electorate.
The hate legislation and its additional gun control protocols are an opportunity to set the balance right again.
When Australian conservatives are on another far, far-right tidal wave, Labor must fight back in defence of the relevance of a majority centre-left government. Good political communication can tame political tidal waves. Commitment to the exceptional values of the US Global Alliance reversed the initial swing to Labor at the 1961 Australian elections as voters looked to the skies for the arrival of those F-111 fighter bombers from General Dynamics that arrived over a decade later.
In the midst of the strategic storm at the 1966 national election, fifteen federal electorates defied the national trend after days of saturation media coverage of President Johnson’s (LBJ) visit.
In the normally conservative federal electorate of Dawson based on the Mackay Reion in Queensland, local member and economist Dr Rex Patterson secured a 13.4 percent swing to Labor after preferences to consolidate a 11.4 percent swing to Labor in the Dawson byelection earlier in 1966.
Dr. Rex Patterson was totally committed to needs-based policies to promote regional and northern development to overcome fifteen years of LNP control of the seat, which was formed in 1949.
What has happened to the fighting spirit of the ALP in Dawson in 2025?
At the minor Moranbah polling booth in Dawson on the boundary with the Capricornia electorate, One Nation tied with the LNP to gain 25 percent of the primary vote. This was converted to a landslide result of 63.1 percent of the vote to the LNP after preferences from far-right parties.
This rise of the far-right in regional Australia and disadvantaged outer metro electorates is embedded in social and economic tensions. Shrill populist rhetoric with the support of most mainstream commercial media networks diverts attention away from real solutions to these tensions as noted by the structural analysis of Greece’s former finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis:
It is for the Albanese Government to restore the political balance with a United Front with progressive independents and Green senators to broaden the proposed hate legislation into bans on all forms of discriminatory speech (Gay News 28 August 2024):
The commitment of the Albanese Government to improved living standards might rally support again for the 2028 elections requires a renewed effort in regional electorates like Dawson, Capricornia, Flynn, Hinker and Wide Bay and in those disadvantaged federal electorates in Outer Metro areas which were retained by the LNP in 2025.
Ironically, Labor’s best booth in Dawson was in the Hamilton Island Polling booth with local enrolment of younger resort workers:
Hamilton Island: Labor’s Best Polling Booth in Dawson
In researching this article, I came across the achievements of Dr Rex Patterson in winning and retaining the federal seat of Dawson between 1996 and 1975. I was not aware of the extent to which the Dawson electorate defied the national mood in 1966.
The near impossible can be achieved with the right style of political communication as achieved when a regional electorate defied the vast resources of Queensland’s National Party during the Joh era by a commitment to solutions and needs-based agendas for change and consensus-building in challenging times.
Denis Bright (pictured) is a financial member of the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA). Denis is committed to consensus-building on the critical issues raised in each article. Your comments on this and related articles can be recorded on theaimn.net site.
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Even the name of the bill is questionable. Combating hate and extremism, fine – but why the need to include anti-semitism, which is just one specific form of hate?
Leefe,
Its worth while to look at who is running the agenda on our priorities.
If you think democracy is where the majority rule, then you need to poke head over the wall because the world is changed.
One form of hate is leading the discussion, because one cult runs things, and that has not changed.
Some commercial media outlets are degenerating into hate sheets against progressive politics themselves.
Thanks Denis for challenging the far-right agendas in Australia
A very topical matter – thank you for raising this one Denis!
Page electorate has the usual trends with disadvantaged booths swinging to the far-right with the exception of Nimbin where voters appreciated the change agendas of the Albanese Government
The far-right and the LNP are copying the traditional Labor styles of political communication. Labor insiders need to rediscover their formerly successful style of political outreach. The combined efforts of the far-right parties brought a slight swing to the LNP after preferences at the last election. Cheers to the voters at those polling booths in Mackay which offered some resistance to Peter Dutton’s attempts to lead Australia into another austerity budget as in 2013.
Thank you for an interesting article on the new laws in Australia.
The Albanese Government is recalling parliament early to pass anti-hate speech legislation. Where is the support from the Murdoch press and a divided LNP Coalition to protect everyone from Hate Speech? Writing nasty banner headlines increases the hate and resolves nothing.
Today, the media has written off the chances for the Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism Bill 2026 in its existing form (https://www.ag.gov.au/crime/publications/combatting-antisemitism-hate-and-extremism-bill-2026).
Labor must be daring enough to accept a total redraft of the bill with the support of the Greens and Progressive Independents in the Senate. This would need amendments that cover all forms of hate.
This is one of the most important pieces of legislation in years. It must not be allowed to fail.
The LNP and the far-right favour a narrow focus on Combatting Antisemitism.
Under pressure from sections of the commercial media, the Albanese Government has opted for this narrow focus.
It is time for the Greens and progressive crossbench members of the Senate to broaden the scope of the legislation through negotiation to make Australia a safer place.
The current impasse justifies a more United Front on these sensitive issues and an understanding of just why the Albanese Government has been so cautious in its initial draft.
Federal and state governments can pass as many laws as they like, none will stop the way people think.
History has shown those of the jewish faith have been involved in community angst over generations, I don’t know why, but I know of no nation that has welcomed the jewish community with open arms. What we are witnessing is nothing new.
“I don’t know why, but I know of no nation that has welcomed the jewish community with open arms.’
In the Australian context that is utter nonsense and typical of the attitude that gives justification, pretext or rationalisation to extremism and racism.
Did the Australian military and public shun John Monash or admire him?
Has Mark Dreyfus suffered an unsuccessful political career?
Do we reflect of the career of Zelman Cowan less favourably because of his religion?
Did Josh Frydenberg lose his seat because he was Jewish or because he was part of the dead hand of the Morrison Government.
Did we stop celebrating the gold medal of Jess Fox when we found out her religion/ethnicity?
I see plenty of comments that give comfort to extremism because it allows extremists to self identify as main stream.
Surely, the issue is, how many Australians knew the ethnicity of those you have named?
Regarding Sir John Monash, who happens to be one of my heros, I believe he was mentioned as a possible PM, but his ethnicity killed the idea.
But back to my comment, the passing of legislation will never stop the way people think.
To quote:
“..The far-right of Australian politics and the LNP, with the support of the Murdoch Press, have had a field day…”
For far too long the far right of Australian politics have via the connivance of the Murdochracy purveyed a biased philosophy of “other-isms” that generate “differences” that degenerate into masked hate speech. No wonder the LNP is undecided as to either support or oppose Albanese’s proposed legislation. To me their indecision equates to regret that they may lose their option for promoting blatant mal-information.
Leefe
I completely agree with your comments: Even the name of the bill is questionable. Combating hate and extremism, fine – but why the need to include anti-semitism, which is just one specific form of hate?
My articles seek to promote discussion to resolve these issues which the Murdoch press preaches hate on so many policy fronts.
The Greens could do more to building consensus on this issue. I am very disappointed with their response as it will allow the politics of hate to fester throughout 2026 and add support to Sussan Ley’s continued leadership of the LNP.
The Albanese Government has decided to divide gun control measures from the anti-hate components of the legislation.
It is a tactical mistake for the Greens to oppose the anti-hate components.
The Albanese Government has been attacked day after day in the Murdoch press over the tragic events at Bondi.
Some change is better than allowing these issues to fester throughout 2026.
The decision of the Q Government to oppose the firearm controls is appalling. It is a return to the politics of the Joh era.
Australian conservatives are having a field day on these issues. The Greens should review their opposition to the government’s proposals in this context.
20 January 2026 is the day of reckoning for the anti-hate legislation. Albo has watered down to legislation to build consensus with the LNP Opposition. If the LNP continues to resist, its primary vote will surely diminish below the 21 per cent in yesterday’s Newspoll. A Deep South political constituency is emerging in Australia with the survival of the LNP depending on preferences from the resistant sectors of the far-right.