The Greens would welcome positive reform to eradicate dangerous hate speech but will closely review Labor's proposal to ensure it does not unreasonably restrict free political speech.
As stated by Greens Justice and Foreign Affairs spokesperson, David Shoebridge:
"There is a case for targeted measures to address genuine hate crimes linked to violence or the promotion of violence.
"We have seen the dangers of racist vilification and dog whistling that compels people to violence. We saw it in the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings and again on Sunday at Bondi, it must be stamped out.
"However, the lessons from the UK and other jurisdictions is that simply banning organisations can lead to more division.
"In an open society there must be scope to freely criticise the actions of state actors that engage in acts of violence or discrimination.
"Simply outlawing criticism is not an answer to complex international issues.
"We are committed to working constructively on positive reforms and have always resisted efforts from the Coalition to water down existing anti-vilification laws.
"Any action the federal parliament takes must also be consistent with the constitutional limitation that prevents any parliament from unreasonably restricting free political speech."
As stated by Greens Deputy Leader and spokesperson for Anti-Racism and Higher Education, Mehreen Faruqi:
"This tragic attack in Bondi has brought to the fore the urgent need to address antisemitism and racism comprehensively. We continue to call on the government to fully fund and implement the National Anti-Racism Framework, which is a roadmap to tackling systemic and structural racism.
"We must not head down a path where academic freedom and freedom of speech on university campuses are compromised. That will not make anyone safer. We can and must address Antisemitism, Islamophobia and all forms of racism in our society without criminalising debate or peaceful protest.
"It is deeply shameful that there are conservative politicians and media who are weaponising this tragedy to continue pushing a hateful political agenda and demonising peaceful protesters at a time when the whole country is grieving. This is a time for people to come together in care, support, and solidarity and for political leaders to take action to protect communities."
