Federal Parliament | Special Report FINAL VOTE: PASSED

Senate Clears Hate Laws as Coalition Splits: Jewish Leaders Call for "Unfinished Business"

Wednesday, 21 January 2026 | 7:45 AM AEDT

In a history-making late-night session, the Senate passed Labor's hate law reforms at 11:00 PM Tuesday—but the victory was marked by a significant split within the Coalition and a warning from Jewish leaders that the laws do not go far enough.

The Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism Bill 2026, which passed the Senate late last night, introduces sweeping changes to Australian law by formally defining "hate crime" at the Commonwealth level for the first time. For religious leaders, the law is a double-edged sword: it creates a new aggravated offence for leaders who incite or advocate violence—carrying a heavy penalty of up to 12 years in prison—but it also includes a critical "safe harbor" clause. This clause ensures that leaders are legally protected when directly quoting from or teaching a religious text, provided it is for the purpose of religious discussion. Furthermore, because the Jewish community is legally recognized as an ethnic group in Australia, the new criminal protections against racial and ethnic vilification apply directly to the community, a move Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke describes as the most significant boost to communal safety in years.

What Passed

• Hate Group Banning: Executive powers to proscribe groups like the Nationalist Socialist Network.
• Visa Revocation: Enhanced powers for the Minister to cancel visas for those spreading hate.
• Aggravated Offences: Harsher penalties for religious leaders advocating violence.

What was Ditchted

• Racial Vilification: The plan to outlaw "inciting hatred" was abandoned after Coalition and Green resistance.
• Free Speech Threshold: The government failed to lower the threshold from "inciting violence" to "inciting hatred."

COALITION FRACTURE: While the Liberal Party supported the bill after negotiating amendments, the Nationals crossed the floor to oppose it. Nationals Leader David Littleproud cited "desperate overreach" and risks to freedom of speech, marking a rare public divide in the opposition's shadow cabinet.

Angie Bell MP Calls Out "Far Left" and "Radical Islam"

Throughout the debate, Angie Bell MP delivered an emotional and well-considered address to the House. She specifically called out the "deafening silence" surrounding antisemitism festering on the far left and among radical Islamist extremists. Bell argued that the victims of the Bondi attack deserve more than remembrance—they deserve resolve and the courage to confront the sources of hatred head-on.

“Some time down the track, if we don't address this problem properly, it will send a message to the wider community that vilification... is not taken seriously. Who knows what tragedies may await us if that message is taken up.” — Peter Wertheim, CEO, Executive Council of Australian Jewry

The Road Ahead: Royal Commission

Jewish community representatives, including Peter Wertheim and Jeremy Leibler (ZFA), have welcomed the new powers to ban hate groups but labeled the lack of vilification laws as "disappointing." They are now eyeing the upcoming Royal Commission into Antisemitism as the platform to revisit these "watered-down" laws.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke conceded this morning that the laws "are not as strong as the government wanted," but insisted that the passage of the bill ensures Jewish Australians are safer today than they were yesterday.