Australian’s Labor government has introduced new legislation to outlaw doxxing and create new “hate crime” offences.
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus on Thursday presented the Privacy and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2024, and the Criminal Code Amendment (Hate Crimes) Bill 2024 to parliament, saying in a speech that the latter was aimed at protecting minority groups and declaring that “Australia’s diversity is our great strength”.
The privacy bill will impose a maximum penalty of six years’ imprisonment for the malicious use of personal data, and seven years if a person or group is targeted because of their race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, intersex status, disability, nationality or national or ethnic origin.
The legislation was fast-tracked at the request of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese after after 600 Jewish members of a WhatsApp group had their names and details leaked by anti-Zionist activists earlier this year.
The bill will create new criminal offences targeting doxxing, defined by the Attorney-General in his speech as “the release of personal data in a manner that is menacing or harassing”.
Mr Dreyfus, who is Jewish himself, said on Thursday: “Doxxing is a damaging form of abuse that can affect all Australians but is often used against women in the context of domestic and family violence.
“The creation of this offence also responds to a recent, shocking incident of a group who were targeted with doxxing on the basis of their religion.”
The “hate crimes” bill will create new criminal offences for directly threatening the use of force or violence against a group or a member of a group, and strengthen existing criminal offences which prohibit a person urging another person to use force or violence against a group or member of a group.
It will make it a criminal offence where the person is reckless as to whether the force or violence urged against a group will occur, and remove the existing defence for acts done in good faith.
The bill also strengthens federal laws criminalising the Nazi salute and the public display of Nazi and terrorist organisation symbols, adding “sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex status” to list of protected groups.
Mr Dreyfus said: “How we protect minority groups, and how we treat those that are different to ourselves, is a measure of our society and a measure of our humanity. This Bill strengthens protections for all Australians against the harm caused by those who foster hatred and extremism.
“Australia’s diversity is our great strength.
“With these laws, we are sending a clear signal to those who seek to divide us. There is no place in this country for hate speech and other hateful conduct that urges or threatens violence against others.”
