Call for “anti-Aboriginalism” protections after hate laws pass

Australia’s new hate crime laws have passed Parliament, but an Indigenous musician has questioned why the national push against hate has not explicitly included protections he describes as laws against “anti-Aboriginalism”.

Reuters reported the reforms were fast-tracked after the Bondi Beach mass shooting at a Jewish festival in December, with a special sitting of federal Parliament this week passing anti-hate measures alongside separate gun reforms.

The hate crime bill increases penalties for some offences, including jail terms of up to 12 years when a religious official or preacher is involved, and also allows bans on groups deemed to spread hate, Reuters reported. The same report said the bill creates new powers to cancel or refuse visas for people who spread hate.

Attorney-General Michelle Rowland said: “This bill targets those that support violence, in particular violence targeted at a person because of their immutable attributes.”

The musician – known as Coedie, called for laws to protect against “anti-Aboriginalism” arguing anti-Indigenous sentiment has intensified since the failed Voice referendum.

While his comments are political, recent events have kept attention on violence directed at First Nations people and supporters. In Melbourne, neo-Nazi leader Thomas Sewell was charged over an alleged attack on a First Nations protest camp, Camp Sovereignty, after an anti-immigration rally.

At the federal level, racial vilification is already addressed in civil law. The Australian Human Rights Commission notes section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act makes it unlawful to do an act reasonably likely to “offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate” someone because of race or ethnicity.