Australian bill would criminalize ‘hate speech’ against Jews but not Christians

(LifeSiteNews) — Australia introduced a bill described as the “toughest hate laws” the country has ever seen that would admittedly criminalize hate speech against Jews and Sikhs but not Christians.

The legislation, introduced January 12 as the Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism Bill, has been denounced by journalist Maria Zeee as “the most tyrannical, the most draconian hate speech laws that we have seen thus far in history.”

A memo explaining the bill says it creates a “creates a new criminal offence” for “publicly promoting or inciting hatred toward another person or group on the grounds of race, colour or national or ethnic origin, or for the dissemination of ideas of superiority over or hatred of another person on the grounds of race, colour, or national or ethnic origin, where that conduct would cause a reasonable targeted person to fear harassment, intimidation or violence, or for their safety.”

The legislation notably says that “it is immaterial whether the conduct actually results in hatred of another person or groups of persons” and it is also “immaterial whether the conduct actually results in any person feeling intimidated, fearing harassment or violence, or fearing for their safety.”

Even more disturbingly, Sarah Chidgey, Deputy Secretary of the Attorney General’s Department, admitted that the law would protect Jews and Sikhs, because they are considered ethnic groups, but would not protect Christians, including Catholics.

“I’m Catholic. Would it protect Catholic people?” Senator Susan McDonald asked during a recent discussion of the bill. 

BREAKING 🚨 Australian government says new hate speech laws will only protect Jews and Sikh’s, NOT Muslims or Christians.

Muslims will attempt inclusion but will likely fail.

Christians will not even attempt inclusion, I predict. pic.twitter.com/v8ZucXvWdK

— Syrian Girl (@Partisangirl) January 14, 2026

“Being Catholic alone would not constitute race, color, national, ethnic origin,” responded Chidgey, clarifying that “hate speech” motivated by religion itself, including Christianity, would not be prosecuted under the legislation.

“What this says is that Christianity is not valued in Australia,” Zeee said. “The largest religion in the world. The most persecuted religion in the world. The most peaceful religion in the world. One that teaches us as part of its core tenets to love, forgive, and to pray for our enemies is now under attack.”

The legislation has been denounced for several other troubling clauses, including one that puts the “burden of proof” “on the defendant to provide evidence suggesting a reasonable possibility of the existence of a legitimate purpose” for displaying a prohibited “hate symbol.”

The bill would further endanger the speech rights of Australians by allowing the Australian Federal Police (AFP) Minister to designate “hate groups” at whim.

It would allow the AFP Minister to “recommend the listing of an organisation as a prohibited hate group where the Minister is satisfied on reasonable grounds that the organisation has directly engaged in, prepared or planned to engage in, or assisted the engagement in, conduct constituting a hate crime targeted at a person or persons distinguished by race or national or ethnic origin, or advocated engaging in conduct constituting such a hate crime.”

Such a group could be blacklisted even if engaged in “hate” conduct before the law took effect.

The stated penalties for infringing on the dictates of the law are heavy, with the maximum penalties ranging from seven to 15 years’ imprisonment.

The government plans to push the bill through Parliament on January 20.