White Australia was listed as a prohibited hate group after Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke determined it had committed a series of alleged “hate crimes”, including during protests and in propaganda materials, the government has stated.
The nationalist group, which also known as WA and the White Australia Party, and formerly known as the National Socialist Network, NSN, the European Australia Movement and EAM, according to the official government listing, was banned by Mr Burke on Friday.
Former White Australia leader Thomas Sewell said in a statement before the ban came into effect that the White Australia Party had been registered with the Australian Electoral Commission on April 25, the same day Mr Burke said ASIO recommended the group be listed, and revealed he had filed a High Court challenge.
The ban was made using Australia’s new “hate groups” laws, which were passed by both major parties in response to the Bondi Islamic terrorist attack despite warnings from legal experts they were open to “egregious abuse”, and could be used by governments to outlaw their political opponents.
The legislation allows the government to list a group if the minister determines it has “engaged in, prepared or planned to engage in, or assisted the engagement in, conduct constituting a hate crime”, which can have occurred before the laws commenced, with no criminal convictions or procedural fairness required.
The official listing, published by the government on Saturday, states that Mr Burke was satisfied White Australia had “engaged in conduct constituting a hate crime”, and that the ban was “reasonably necessary to protect the Australian community or part of the Australian community from social, psychological and physical harm”.
The listing states:
“White Australia has engaged in conduct constituting hate crimes by:
consistently promoting racist and hateful propaganda about Indigenous Australians, Jewish people, Muslims, Asians and other migrant ethnicities, to demean and incite hatred against these groups
engaging in harmful conduct towards people based on race or national or ethnic origins, including when White Australia members attacked a First Nation’s (sic) protest camp in Melbourne. The attacks included physical violence against Indigenous Australians and the destroying of their property
giving the Nazi salute in public forums and at public protests
displaying banners, containing racial and ethnic slurs, at public protests to publicly incite hatred against Jewish people, immigrants or refugees and non-white Australians. Members of White Australia have also chanted Nazi slogans such as ‘Hail Victory’ and ‘Blood and Honour’ at these protests or demonstrations
distributing propaganda to regional communities with immigrant populations, stating ‘Australia For the White Man’.”
A number of former members of White Australia are still before the courts after being charged over some of the alleged incidents referred to in the listing, including 15 men in relation to an alleged clash with far-left extremists at the protest camp in Melbourne.
The alleged incidents all occurred before the “hate groups” legislation was passed, and the majority of those charged over the alleged “Camp Sovereignty” clash, including Mr Sewell, have pleaded not guilty and are due to face trial in the coming months.
The listing also states that the decision to specify White Australia as a “prohibited hate group” was “informed by classified and unclassified information provided by relevant agencies”, and states “White Australia’s ideology is grounded in racism and the notion of White supremacy”.
“The specification will prevent White Australia from legitimately operating in Australia by criminalising certain forms of engagement with the organisation. This will reduce White Australia’s overall impact and influence in Australian society,” the listing states.
“This is important to protect the Australian community from social, psychological and physical harm.”
The ban means directing, joining, recruiting, training, funding or supporting White Australia became criminal offences from midnight on Friday, which carry penalties of up to 15 years in jail.
Header image: The alleged Camp Sovereignty incident. Right, an NSN protest in regional Australia last year (supplied).
