Constituency questions
Caulfield electorate
David SOUTHWICK (Caulfield) (14:58): (810) My question today is to the Attorney-General in the other place, and I ask: when will the Attorney introduce long overdue laws to crack down on hate speech? Labor promised reforms to the Racial and Religious Tolerance Act 2001 in 2021. There was an inquiry into the hate laws, and in September 2021 the government accepted 34 of the 36 recommendations. I was proud to be part of that, along with the member for Brighton, to lobby for these changes to the hate laws. The Jewish community and multicultural communities have been calling for these laws for years – three years on, still no laws. While antisemitism is at an all-time high, especially since the terrorist attack of 7 October, the government is sitting on their hands. Three incidents in the last week alone show a rise in antisemitism. We need these laws. When will these hate laws finally be introduced into the Parliament?