Australia’s New Anti-Semitism Bill Sparks Free Speech Concerns

Australia’s flagship Adelaide Festival has faced a wave of artist pullouts and board resignations after it canceled the invitation of Randa Abdel-Fattah, a Palestinian-Australian academic and author, saying it “would not be culturally sensitive” to include her after the Bondi Beach attack.

The Adelaide Festival board said last week that Dr. Randa Abdel-Fattah, an outspoken critic of Israel, was dropped from the Writers’ Week program because of unspecified “sensitivities” following the Bondi Beach attack in December.

"Whilst we do not suggest in any way that Dr. Randa Abdel-Fattah or her writings have any connection with the tragedy at Bondi, given her past statements, we have formed the view that it would not be culturally sensitive to continue to program her at this unprecedented time so soon after Bondi," it said in a statement.

Abdel-Fattah called the decision to exclude her a "blatant and shameless act of anti-Palestinian racism and censorship" and the attempt to link her with the Bondi attack "despicable."

After growing backlash, the Adelaide Festival board released a statement apologizing for the distress the decision caused: “We also apologize to Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah for how the decision was represented and reiterate this is not about identity or dissent but rather a continuing rapid shift in the national discourse around the breadth of freedom of expression in our nation following Australia’s worst terror attack in history.”

However, Abdel-Fattah said in a statement shared on social media that she did not accept the board’s apology, calling it “disingenuous.”

“Once again, the Board, citing the ‘national discourse’, for an action that specifically targets me, a Palestinian Australian Muslim woman, is explicitly articulating that I cannot be part of the national discourse, which is insulting and racist in the extreme. The Board again reiterates the link to a terror attack I had nothing to do with, nor did any Palestinian,” she said.

Who Is Randa Abdel-Fattah?

Abdel-Fattah, a novelist, lawyer, and academic, was the sole author of Palestinian descent invited to the festival.

She was scheduled to speak about her latest novel, Discipline, which she describes as a “cautionary tale about the cost of silence and cowardice." The book follows the lives of two Muslim girls and explores themes of institutional racism and censorship within universities and the media.

She has previously drawn criticism for remarks asserting that Zionists had "no claim or right to cultural safety" as well as for a 2024 post on X in which she wrote that "the goal is decolonization and the end of this murderous Zionist colony."

In 2024, opposition politicians and several prominent Jewish Australians urged the cancellation of research funding granted to Abdel‑Fattah, after Education Minister Jason Clare requested the Australian Research Council to review her spending and potential conflicts of interest. However, following a 10‑month investigation into her work at Macquarie University, she was cleared of any wrongdoing last month.

Backlash Mounts over Removal of Palestinian Author

After Abdel-Fattah was dropped, 180 writers and four board members withdrew from the festival, which was set to run from February 27 to March 15. Some said that while they did not necessarily agree with Abdel-Fattah, they defended her right to free speech.

Some prominent writers who dropped out were American Pulitzer-prize winning author Percival Everett, British novelist Zadie Smith, and former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

Louise Adler, the event’s director, resigned as well. In an op‑ed, she explained her decision, stating she could not be complicit in silencing writers, according to the paper

She accused pro-Israel lobbyists of using “increasingly extreme and repressive efforts” to suppress even minimal criticism, creating a chilling effect on free expression and democratic institutions.

“The new mantra ‘Bondi changed everything’ has offered this lobby, its stenographers in the media and a spineless political class yet another coercive weapon,” she wrote.

Adler added that: "the board's statement cites community cohesion, an oft-referenced anxiety which should be treated with skepticism."

Meanwhile, Peter Malinauskas, the Premier of South Australia, along with several federal politicians and various Jewish organizations, supported the decision to revoke Abdel-Fattah’s invitation.

The Jewish Community Council for South Australia, Norman Schueler, said his organization had sent a letter to the Adelaide Festival board lobbying for Abdel-Fattah's removal.

"It was a very wise move, and it will improve the cohesiveness of the festival by not having her there," he said after her removal.

"I think for everyone who has dropped out that it's rather pathetic because that means they agree with what Dr Fattah is on about... Namely, that Israel should not exist," Schueler added.

Australia Set to Enact New Anti-Semitism Laws

The Australian government has introduced the draft Combating anti-Semitism, Hate and Extremism Act 2026, which would impose jail sentences of up to 15 years for extremists or neo-Nazis who work with hate groups. The Attorney-General’s Department released the bill on Tuesday, with parliamentary debate scheduled for next week.

Drafted over the summer, the 144-page draft of the Combating anti-Semitism, Hate and Extremism Bill will establish enhanced anti‑vilification measures targeting Islamic preachers who incite hatred against Jews and other minority groups, expands the grounds for visa cancellations, and strengthen penalties for anyone seeking to spread hate, division and radicalization.

The legislation is designed to provide protections against anti-Semitic rhetoric directed at Australian Jews and other racial groups. Under the proposed legislation, it would be illegal to "publicly promote or incite hatred", or "disseminate ideas of superiority or hatred towards another person or group of people based on their race, color, or national or ethnic origin."

The eSafety commission and communications department will also be tasked with formulating "online safety advice" regarding anti-Semitism.

Executive Council of Australian Jewry Backs Albanese’s Proposed Reforms

The Australian government has consulted with Jewish groups in preparing the hate speech reforms. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed discussions with Peter Wertheim, president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, who expressed support for the new laws.

“This is a promising sign,” Wertheim said. “The country cannot risk another round of reforms that will fall short of providing the level of protection that it is claimed they provide,” he added.

In addition, anti-Semitism envoy Jillian Segal submitted a 13-point strategy to the government six months ago aimed at combating anti-Semitism. As part of the plan, she will work with Australian corporate lawyer and businessman David Gonski to head a 12-month education taskforce, and has called for mandatory Holocaust and anti-Semitism education in both state and private schools.

The prime minister said the government "adopts and fully supports" the anti-Semitism envoy's recommendations and would continue to work through the implementation.

However, Segal’s report drew criticism upon release for its impact on free speech, particularly over plans to monitor universities and arts organizations and to withhold funding if they were judged to have failed to act against anti-Semitism.

Australia Introduces New Bill Targeting Hate Groups

Australia’s draft bill expands hate speech and anti‑vilification laws, empowers authorities to proscribe groups, and introduces a new hate group register—set at a lower threshold than terrorist listings—criminalizing association, recruitment, training, or support for designated groups.

Under the Bill, a religious official or spiritual leader found advocating or threatening violence against groups, in their preaching or religious instruction capacity, will face up to 12 years imprisonment.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke indicated that the Nazi group, the National Socialist Network and Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir would be the first hate groups made illegal under the new legislation.

While Nazi swastikas and other hate symbols are already banned under the criminal code, the proposed legislation expands the definition to include symbols of any prohibited group.

Once the group is prohibited, it will be a criminal offense to be a member of the group, to participate in its activities, to engage in recruitment or training, or to provide support or financial assistance.

Visa Cancellations or Refusal on Character Grounds

Other proposed measures include streamlining the Immigration Minister’s authority to revoke visas for visitors to Australia; the Home Affairs Minister can currently refuse or cancel visas on character grounds.

The test will now encompass individuals who have previously disseminated hatred or extremist views publicly—whether online or abroad—those allegedly engaged in hate-related conduct, those appearing motivated to commit related offenses, or those with suspected ties to prohibited groups.

Australia’s New Hate Speech Bill Faces Backlash

Several Coalition MPs accused Labor of playing politics with the law, while many Liberal and National MPs opposed the proposed crackdown on hate speech and extremism, arguing that it excessively restricts free expression in the name of protecting minorities, such as Jewish Australians, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Fellow Liberal Andrew Hastie announced that he would vote against the bill because it impinged on freedom of expression and religion. “This bill is an attack on our basic democratic freedoms,” he said.

Shadow Foreign Minister Michaelia Cash warned that the exemption could serve as a cover for hate preachers, while ordinary individuals might face unjust prosecution for expressing sincerely held beliefs or participating in vigorous debate. 

“If these laws are drafted too broadly, they won’t just catch extremists, they'll chill free speech and punish the wrong people,” Cash said.

“This prime minister is chasing politics, not the national interest, and it risks more division, not unity,” Cash added.

Additionally, Opposition Leader Sussan Ley cautioned Albanese against politicizing the government’s response to the Bondi attack. 

“We are deeply skeptical of the prime minister’s decision to introduce a single bill that will attempt to cover multiple complex and unrelated policy areas. For example, issues of speech are clearly separate from the ownership and management of firearms,” Ley said in a statement.

“As is so often the case with this prime minister, he is squarely focused on what he perceives to be his political interests, not the national interest. This is a political decision, aimed at fostering division, not creating unity.”

Human Rights Groups Push Back against Australia’s Hate Speech Laws

Last February, the Human Rights Law Center raised concerns about the new legislation, emphasizing that there is no connection between peaceful protest and hate crimes, and warning that broadening police powers and restricting demonstrations could deepen divisions by silencing the voices of people peacefully speaking out.

The Center also noted that the laws could grant police the authority to disperse a snap anti-war protest or rally calling for climate action rallies if they occur near places of worship.

The Australian Human Rights Commission had previously outlined that although Federal and NSW laws are designed to combat hate crimes and introduced in response to the recent rise in racial hatred and violence across Australia, particularly targeting Jewish communities, “it raises a number of specific human rights concerns, notably in relation to freedom of expression, the right to peaceful assembly, and mandatory minimum sentencing.”

“Under this law, clothing is no longer just expression. It is conduct. A T-shirt is not an opinion. It is an act. Your chest becomes a regulated surface,” reported Michael West Media.

Muslim Organizations Voice Concerns over Australia’s Hate Speech Bill

Muslim organizations said they had not been consulted on the laws. Australian Federation of Islamic Councils president Rateb Jneid said he was concerned that the new serious offense targets the promotion of hatred on the basis of race, but not religion.

“In a climate where Islamophobia is rising rapidly, as evidenced as recently as yesterday by the violent attack on an imam and his wife in Victoria, it is simply not tenable for laws designed to combat hate to exclude religion,” Jneid 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 recognize that,” he added.

When asked whether Islamic groups had been consulted during the drafting process, a spokesperson 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.”

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