Hate speech legislation set to fail in Parliament

The Socialist Bulletin Staff - 15/1/2026

LABOR'S mega bill consisting both of gun reform and 'reforms' to hate speech legislation appears to have been struck down, just days after Federal Parliament was called back early to pass it.

The legislation combined strengthening of gun laws and the largest gun buyback since the Port Arthur massacre with an amendment to hate speech legislation. While the gun law strengthening is commendable and is the only real thing that can be done by the government to prevent another attack like Bondi, the hate speech amendment does not include protections for most marginalised groups, and instead will, in its current form, primarily prevent the egos of Zionists from being harmed.

The two major non-Labor groupings in Parliament have both come to oppose this legislation, for two separate reasons:

The Coalition has chosen to oppose the legislation due to the strengthening of gun laws, as they have, for the entirety of this term so far, been entirely pointlessly in opposition to every government-endorsed bill and action - just weeks ago the Coalition was demanding that Labor call the Parliament back immediately to pass exactly this bill. Today, they condemn the early recalling of Parliament as going against normal Parliamentary proceedings.

The Greens have, today, announced that they too will oppose the bill also, with focus on the hate speech section of the legislation. Deputy Leader Mehreen Faruqi stated that 'the legacy of the horrific and appalling violence in Bondi cannot be the undermining of political, civil and human rights or a law that can be weaponised against people who use their conscience to speak out against human rights abuses and atrocities in this country, or overseas.', drawing attention to the weaponisation of the hate speech legislation as a way to target the Palestine movement for its opposition to the State of 'Israel'.

Without the support of the Greens or the Coalition, the bill cannot pass the Senate, meaning that, if no amendments can be agreed to, the bill will not pass.

The legislation has also been condemned by several non-Parliamentary groups, with the Socialist Party slamming the bill as 'run[ning] counter to the implied right to freedom of speech in the constitution' and stating that it 'ha[s] been opposed by the Australian Lawyers Alliance, with representative Greg Barnes, sc, concerned that rushing the laws through without adequate consultation was dangerous.' Barnes additionally urged caution because of the risks to civil liberties, according to the Socialist Party. The Party has urged the Greens to continue their principled position on the legislation, and to not abandon the Palestine movement at this time.