A letter which Archbishop of Hobart Julian Porteous sent to all Catholic schools last month has drawn ire from a Hobart Catholic primary school. The letter In the May 2 letter, Porteous railed against the “radicalised transgender lobby”, same-sex marriage and the “woke movement”. “What we are now witnessing in our Australian society is the Read more
The things that make you feel good in politics don’t necessary do good. But boy, are they morally satisfying. Legislating to stop hate speech. Using a “hecklers’ veto” to run Posie Parker out of town. Victories against hate. Job done. I’ve done my share. My student comrades were on a high after we heckled and Read more
The Labour Government is currently fighting on multiple fronts that threaten its popularity in the run-up to next year’s election. Therefore, when a call had to be made about whether to push through divisive and poorly-designed hate speech laws, there really was no decision for Justice Minister Kiri Allan to make – the reforms had Read more
Hate speech has been the subject of much debate in Parliament lately. Debate has centred on protecting individuals from such speech via the Human Rights Act. It’s been an ongoing question with pros and cons. Should the Act be expanded – or not? The legislation already specifically protects people from being subject to hate speech Read more
Over the weekend, as Australia elected a new prime minister and Beauden Barrett landed a drop goal to secure the Blues a win against the Brumbies, a clip from an Australian podcast went viral on TikTok. On the latest episode of Jordan Simi’s Grouse & A Few Reds podcast, released on May 20, the topic Read more
On the eve of the three-year anniversary of the mosque terror attacks, the Race Relations Commissioner has accused the Government of “dragging its heels” over proposed hate speech laws. Strengthening the legislation against incitement of hatred and discrimination was a key recommendation of the Royal Commission of Inquiry after the March 15 attacks in Christchurch. Read more
The Government has recently released proposals for legislating a new offence against communications that “intentionally incite/stir up, maintain or normalise hatred”. The proposals themselves seemed to have stirred up strong reactions among people, including among some Christian churches and societies. Depending on what YouTube’s algorithm has decreed you should enjoy watching, some of these reactions Read more
On Friday submissions close for the Government’s proposed changes to the Human Rights Act 1993. The proposal, which the Government “agrees to in principle”, is to make illegal “hate speech” against a range of different groups of people. This is a very dangerous step for any society to make. It seems incongruous, doesn’t it? Surely Read more
New hate speech law proposals from the government are a bit confusing, and some of the debate so far seems to have muddied the waters, reducing something that began as an effort to combat racism, terrorism and hatred to name calling and taunts by politicians. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Justice Minister Kris Faafoi contradicted Read more
On the campaign trail last year, Ardern raised eyebrows when she blithely told journalists she expected “wide support” for expanding existing hate-speech laws to include religion. When asked whether sexual orientation, age or disability could be included, she said, “Yeah.” The Prime Minister, who had just unveiled a memorial plaque at Christchurch’s Al Noor mosque, Read more