Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has recalled parliament early to try to pass new “hate speech” and gun laws, sparking fury from everyday Aussies who fear the legislation will shut down criticism of immigration, free speech advocates, and Christians.
The Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism Bill, drafted in response to the Bondi Islamic terrorist attack in consultation with the Jewish community, will also allow the government to outlaw “Prohibited Hate Groups”.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the “hate groups” framework was specifically targeted at Muslim organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir, and right-wing activist group the National Socialist Network who he said he had been previously unable to ban because they had not broken the law or incited violence.
Australia will pass the “Toughest Hate Law ever seen” on Tuesday.
It’s called the, “Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism Bill 2026”.
Obviously this was always intended to target White Australians from discussing mass immigration.
TREASON❗️pic.twitter.com/QZ494LUKJy
— Dr Russell McGregor (@KillAuDeepState) January 12, 2026
“There have been organisations which have played a game for a long time in keeping themselves just below the legal threshold. They were called out last year by Mike Burgess, the Director-General of ASIO, for the real harm they do to our national security. The two groups he called out specifically were the Nazis – the National Socialist Network – and Hizb ut-Tahrir,” he said.
“Two groups which through their spreading of hate, have a direct impact on increased risk on our national security environment, but have kept themselves just below the law. For while they have created a pathway for others to engage in violence, have been careful to not explicitly call for it themselves. They’ve kept themselves just below that threshold.
“This bill will lower that threshold, and lower that threshold to the extent that we can within the Constitution. We have had enough of organisations that hate Australia, playing games with Australian law.”
Mr Albanese said the reforms would create serious offences for “hate preachers and leaders seeking to radicalise children”, increase hate crime penalties, create a new offence for “inciting hatred in order to intimidate or harass”, expand the existing prohibited symbols ban, make “extremism” a factor in sentencing, make it easier to cancel and refuse visas for “spreading hatred”, and set up the National Gun Buyback Scheme.
Once an organisation is listed as a Prohibited Hate Group, it will be a criminal offence punishable by jail terms of up to 15 years to be a member, recruit for it, donate or receive funds or support that group.
But the proposed legislation has been criticised from all angles, including from Muslim groups who said they were not consulted and want religion covered by the new hate crime offence, and free speech advocates.
“Anthony Albanese has recalled parliament early to deal with sweeping hate speech and gun laws in the wake of the Bondi terror attack.
The prime minister announced in Canberra the government would introduce omnibus legislation that would designate hate crime a “serious” offence… pic.twitter.com/RB7lnHCDFn
— Gerard Rennick (@RennickGBR) January 12, 2026
I will oppose the laws that Labor tries to pass next week. Unlike them I believe in free speech and I believe in the right of people to associate with whoever they want. We already have laws designed to prevent hate speech (which I OPPOSE) and police already have powers to…
— Senator Babet (@senatorbabet) January 12, 2026
The Australian regime came to the conclusion that the activists they have illegally imprisoned have committed no crimes, so the regime now announces a new, huge hatespeech law that will retroactively make their activism illegal. Mad tyrants. pic.twitter.com/vzNixnQirf
— Dries Van Langenhove (@DVanLangenhove) January 12, 2026
Former Liberal senator Gerard Rennick said the laws were “more smoke and mirrors from the clown show called the Uniparty”.
“Why do we need more hate crime laws? Who decides what a hate crime is? Why don’t the ones introduced last year suffice? If they didn’t work, why does Albanese think more hate crimes will stop terrorism? he asked.
“Don’t we already have laws against violent acts already regardless of motive? How do we know these Hate Crimes laws will be used for political and not safety purposes?
“And why is there nothing about reducing immigration and promoting assimilation which is the real source of the problem. Not to mention our intelligence/law enforcement agencies who sleep to be asleep at the wheel.”
United Australia Party senator Ralph Babet wrote: “I will oppose the laws that Labor tries to pass next week. Unlike them I believe in free speech and I believe in the right of people to associate with whoever they want.
“We already have laws designed to prevent hate speech (which I OPPOSE) and police already have powers to address any issues caused by radicals. This is nothing more than a power grab. We do not need anymore laws, just enforce the ones we already have.”
The laws were also criticised by former Belgian MP Dries Van Langenhove, who wrote: “The Australian regime came to the conclusion that the activists they have illegally imprisoned have committed no crimes, so the regime now announces a new, huge hate speech law that will retroactively make their activism illegal. Mad tyrants.
“And again, as always, Islamic terrorism is being used as the excuse for the new hate speech law that will target white Australian nationalists. This is why, in essence, Islamic terrorists and antiwhite traitors are allies.
“This same method is being used all over the world. In Belgium, the regime launched an all out investigation against my movement. Nothing illegal was found, so a new law was drafted to make the legal findings illegal. The excuse, once again, was mainly Islamic radical/terrorist organisations.”
Anglican Bishop Michael Stead, the Sydney Diocese Religious Freedom Reference Group chair, raised concerns about the “hate group” designation, while Australia Christian Lobby chief executive Michelle Pearse expressed doubts about the “hate speech” elements, The Australian reported.
“We are concerned about the proposal to create a new category of prohibited hate groups as this appears to be similar to what already exists for proscribed terrorist organisations but with a much lower bar,” Dr Stead said.
“On what basis then is someone going to be listed as a Prescribed Hate Group? All we need is the winds of social policy to change in 20 years and Christian teachings are deemed hateful and the Anglican Church is suddenly a hate group.”
Many other Aussies slammed the laws and asked why they appeared to be targeted at them, instead of radical Islamic extremists.
“Obviously this was always intended to target White Australians from discussing mass immigration,” wrote Dr Russell McGregor on X.
“It wasn’t NSN that shot up Bondi. Albanese is punishing White men for Non-White crimes,” read another popular post.
“Basically: ‘This political group we don’t approve of was not breaking any laws. So we had to create a law to ban their very existence.’ Total clown world,” said wellness influencer Sol Brah.
Jewish groups, including the Executive Council of Australia Jewry (ECAJ, welcomed the laws, but while ECAJ co-chief executive Peter Wertheim called them a “promising sign” he also complained about a proposed exemption for quoting or referencing religious texts in the law on promoting or inciting racial hatred.
“We are on record as having strongly opposed an exemption in those terms in the equivalent New South Wales laws,’’ he told news.com.au.
“You could drive a truck through it, and it would mean that hate preachers…would arguably be beyond the reach of prosecution.”
Australian Federation of Islamic Councils president Rateb Jneid said they new laws should have been drafted to cover religion, and claimed “islamophobia is rising rapidly”, The Age reported.
“It is simply not tenable for laws designed to combat hate to exclude religion,” he said.
“Hatred fuelled by religious bigotry can be just as dangerous and damaging as that based on race. Any serious attempt to address hate speech must recognise that.”
When asked whether Muslim groups had been involved in drafting the legislation, a spokesman for Attorney-General Michelle Rowland said: “Consultation on the new laws is ongoing and has involved a range of experts and stakeholders, including the Jewish community.”
Header image: Mr Albanese at a Bondi massacre memorial (PMO)
