In a late night debate on Wednesday, the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, introduced amendments to the federation chamber that would enable minimum jail sentences for threatening force or violence against people on the basis of their race, religion, nationality, national or ethnic origin, political opinion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex status.
Labor attempt to pass minimum jail sentences for hate speech crimes Albanese government will reverse stance on mandatory terms to head off opposition attacks on antisemitism.
The amendments will create minimum mandatory jail sentences of 12 months for less serious threats of violence, such as nazi salutes, while offences associated with listed terrorist groups could carry a minimum jail sentence of six years.
The Albanese government will attempt to pass minimum jail sentences of between one and six years for hate speech crimes in a bid to stave off opposition attacks on its response to antisemitism ahead of the federal election.
“It’s been very clear in this country since this antisemitism crisis has become a terrorism crisis and got out of control under Anthony Albanese’s watch, that we needed strong action to send a strong signal to deter people who are responsible for these attacks and that only mandatory minimum sentences would be sufficient to achieve that,” he told a Sky News opinion program.
