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Prime Minister Albanese acknowledged that the newly introduced legislative packages are “not as strong as we originally proposed.” However, he emphasized that they still rank among the “strongest hate laws ever seen in Australia.”
“My government is committed to listening, addressing issues systematically, and finding effective solutions,” Albanese stated.
One of the most notable changes to the laws, finalized overnight, involved removing a proposed criminal offense for promoting hatred.
“It comes down to numbers, and there simply wasn’t enough support for it. I accept that,” Albanese explained to journalists in Canberra today.
“As a pragmatic political leader, my focus is on achieving tangible results,” he added.
Albanese said the opposition should explain its “contradiction” after initially supporting the adoption of Segal’s recommendations in full.
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) said it welcomed the anti-hate laws and described them as a step in the right direction.
“This Bill is another substantial step towards achieving effective laws against the deliberate promotion of hatred of groups or individuals based on their skin colour or national or ethnic origin,” a spokesperson for ECAJ said.
A feature of the gun control package is a national buyback scheme, which faced opposition from the Nationals.
But that, too, has already hit a snag in Queensland after Premier David Crisafulli said the state would not participate.
“I disagree with his position, respectfully, and I don’t think it is in the interests of Queenslanders or the nation not to have national uniform laws,” Albanese said.
“There’s nothing unusual about states saying that they want everyone else to pay but themselves for things.
“I encourage states and territories to support this.”
When asked if the federal government would stump up half of the funding, Albanese responded with a firm denial.
“We are stepping up. State and territory leaders need to step up as well,” he added.
Last night’s laws passed ahead of the National Day of Mourning for the victims of the Bondi Beach attack tomorrow, January 22.
Albanese called for national unity and said there will be several formal events around the country to mark the 15 innocent lives lost.
“This period has been one of the most difficult in our nation’s history,” he said.
“We continue to take action required to keep Australians safe.”
Hate speech and gun reforms explained
The new hate speech laws will create powers for authorities to designate certain organisations as “hate groups”, allowing members and donors alike to face possible jail time.
It will create new aggravated offences for religious or spiritual leaders who advocate violence, as well as penalise religious leaders who preach hate to children.
The new framework will also give ministers more powers to cancel or refuse visas to those who spread hate or extremist views.
The new gun laws – which were voted against by the Coalition, One Nation and United Australia Party senators – will limit the imports of guns to Australian citizens.
There will also be greater restrictions on the types of guns that can be imported and a national gun buyback scheme will be established.