The government has officially designated White Australia, a neo-Nazi organization, as a prohibited hate group under its latest legislative measures.
According to Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, the National Socialist Network, a neo-Nazi group that dissolved earlier this year, has re-emerged under the new name White Australia. Burke described this transformation as a “phoenix” act, where the group rebranded itself but continued operating without altering its foundational activities.
“Essentially, they resurfaced, adopting a new name, yet the organization remained intact, continuing the same activities that meet this law’s criteria,” Burke explained to the media today.
The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) informed the government that, as of April 22, White Australia likely fulfilled the criteria for classification as a hate group, owing to its advocacy and involvement in hate crimes.
Burke noted that the group’s actions, characterized by their hateful nature, have received substantial media coverage.
“We saw in Melbourne, specific violent action that you all covered…. we’ve also seen a series of actions of threats, some of which are different arrests that you’ve reported of people who’ve been motivated by a white supremacist ideology,” he said. 
Following the March for Australia protest in Melbourne late last year, a group led by notorious neo-nazi Thomas Sewell attacked a sacred Indigenous site, injuring several people.
With the opposition’s support, the group will officially be listed as a hate group at midnight. 
“This means that supporting, funding, training, recruiting, joining, or directing this group constitutes a criminal offence with a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison,” Burke said. 
In January, in the wake of the Bondi attack, the government introduced tough new hate laws to allow them to list and ban a hate group.
White Australia becomes the second group to be listed under the laws, following Hizb ut-Tahrir as the first.
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