General Mark Dreyfus announced on Thursday that the government is planning to introduce legislation to outlaw swastikas and other Nazi symbols across the entire country.
The proposed federal law aims to address the growing presence of far-right activities. While most Australian states already have regulations prohibiting Nazi symbols, the new federal law would extend the ban to include the trade of such material.
“There’s been a rise in this kind of violent far-right activity. We think it’s time for there to be a federal law which I’ll be bringing to the Parliament next week,” Dreyfus emphasized.
“We’ve got responsibility for import and export. We want to see an end to trading in this kind of memorabilia or any items which bear those Nazi symbols,” Dreyfus said. “There’s no place in Australia for spreading of hatred and violence.”
The Labor Party government currently controls the House of Representatives, but the outcome of passing the ban in the Senate remains uncertain. The legislation would impose a penalty, potentially resulting in a one-year prison sentence, for individuals found displaying Nazi symbols. The timeline for the ban’s passage and implementation is yet to be determined.
The proposed ban on Nazi symbols would include specific exclusions to allow for their display in religious, educational, or artistic contexts. It would not interfere with the use of the swastika by individuals practicing Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, as these religions have historical and cultural connections to the symbol.
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, who himself is Jewish, acknowledged that the number of neo-Nazis in Australia is relatively small. However, he revealed that the Australian Security Intelligence Organization, the country’s main domestic intelligence agency, has expressed concerns regarding the increased activity of these extremist groups over the past three years.
“This is a very small number of people. I’m hoping it’s getting small and it will eventually disappear,” he told Australian Broadcasting Corp.
