New South Wales councils may soon wield enhanced authority to close down unauthorized venues and impose fines reaching $220,000, as part of the government’s proposed overhaul addressing hate speech.

Today, Premier Chris Minns unveiled initiatives aimed at curbing the misuse of venues as unauthorized places of worship, specifically targeting hate preachers operating these so-called “factories of hate” without necessary planning permissions.

According to the proposed reforms, councils would gain the ability to issue cessation orders, disconnect utilities, and levy steeper penalties on those who resist compliance.

The potential fines for violations have been increased significantly, doubling from $11,000 to $22,000 for individuals, and from $110,000 to $220,000 for corporations.

Additionally, councils will be mandated to engage with law enforcement before granting approval for new public worship sites.

Minns said he was “struck” when the Canterbury-Bankstown Council closed down the Al Madina Dawah Centre, which was linked to a controversial preacher, in December and could only hand down a nominal fine.

The premier said it was hard to say exactly how prevalent illegal prayer halls were, but he was “sick of” being unable to close one down and having hate preachers simply move venues.

“These are done behind closed doors, they’re not easy to identify, they’re very difficult to close down,” he said.

“But increasingly, as a result of the broadcast or dissemination of individual sermons or lectures or hate spewed that we can identify, I don’t think the rules or laws have been fit for purpose to confront them in our communities.”

The premier added that allowing illegal prayer halls to operate would be unfair to the mosques, churches and synagogues that go through the proper channels.

Minns insisted the rules did not target a single religion and would apply equally to everyone.

“It applies to everyone. That goes for all of our legislation, that goes for all of our hate speech laws, and I think the best way of demonstrating the government’s commitment to have this apply across the board is people will be arrested and charged for hate speech regardless of who it applies to,” he said.

“That applies equally for a young woman who might be wearing a scarf in a suburban street in Sydney as it applies to an orthodox Jewish man in Bondi.”

The Canterbury-Bankstown Council issued a cease-use directive to the Al Madina Dawah Centre after finding the site was never approved to operate as a prayer hall.

Wissam Haddad, a controversial preacher who has been reportedly linked to the alleged Bondi terrorist Naveed Akram and found in court to have breached the Racial Discrimination Act for antisemitic lectures in July, was a guest speaker at the centre.

Haddad has denied any prior knowledge of the Bondi attack.

At the time, Minns signalled that the Al Madina Dawah Centre closure was not the end of the matter, and that there would be more in the weeks to come.