Overview
- At a Brisbane hearing, Islamic and ethnic community groups said they were bypassed in drafting and protested outside parliament as a Greens MP’s bid to add a Palestine advocacy group to witnesses was rejected.
- The bill would criminalise “from the river to the sea” and “globalise the intifada,” empower the attorney‑general to proscribe other expressions, and carry penalties of up to two years’ jail.
- Provisions also extend bans on hate symbols, expand police stop‑and‑search powers, increase penalties for offences targeting places of worship, and bundle in gun‑law reforms.
- Premier David Crisafulli defended the measures as very tight and specific, casting them as a targeted response to antisemitism and contrasting them with a broader federal plan that was dropped.
- More than 200 submissions have been lodged, with Jewish representatives backing the reforms and major faith, union and legal groups warning the subjective ‘satisfied’ test risks criminalising political speech; hearings are due to conclude on February 27 ahead of parliament’s March 3 return.