Fines or Up to 2 Years Jail for Nazi Symbols at Jewish Sites and Stricter Penalties for Hate Graffiti
Crimes Legislation Amendment (Racial and Religious Hatred) Bill 2025
Legislative Assembly
Legislative Council
Assent
Topics
criminal justice criminal penalties graffiti hate crimes hate speech nazi symbols places of worship public order public safety sentencing
Introduced by: Michael Daley MP (ALP); The Hon Daniel Mookhey MLC (ALP)
Links to official parliament websites
Effects of this bill
If this bill passes, it means that:
The Debate
What different members said when this bill was debated:
Sue Higginson GRN
“On behalf of The Greens, I make a contribution to debate on the Crimes Legislation Amendment (Racial and Religious Hatred) Bill 2025. The bill seeks to expressly penalise the intentional display of a Nazi symbol near a synagogue, Jewish school or the Sydney Jewish Museum.”
Damien Tudehope LIB
“I speak to the Crimes Legislation Amendment (Racial and Religious Hatred) Bill 2025. In this House we have debated over a long period of time issues relating to antisemitism, and it generally brings about fairly heated discussions. Most people in this place are aware of the history of those events. Therefore, I limit my remarks to this bill.”
John Ruddick LIBT
“The Libertarian Party opposes the Crimes Legislation Amendment (Racial and Religious Hatred) Bill 2025, just as it will oppose all of the anti-speech bills being debated today and the even more egregious anti-speech amendments being proposed by what I will call the "Illiberal Party".”
Abigail Boyd GRN
“The Crimes Legislation Amendment (Racial and Religious Hatred) Bill 2025 is the first of three bills before the House as a triumvirate or a suite of bills. It is appropriate to put some comments on record about all three of them. I do not seek to repeat my excellent colleague.”
Mark Latham IND
“In contributing to debate on the Crimes Legislation Amendment (Racial and Religious Hatred) Bill 2025, I support the words of the Hon. John Ruddick, who I think gave one of the best speeches I have heard in this place, bringing the matter into perspective and importantly learning the lessons of history.”
Anthony D'Adam ALP
“I have a number of reservations about the Crimes Legislation Amendment (Racial and Religious Hatred) Bill 2025. I am particularly concerned by the proposed amendments that the Opposition has foreshadowed. I supported the provisions in the original bill to insert a prohibition on displaying Nazi symbols. At the time, I remember there was a bit of internal debate in my head.”
Courtney Houssos ALP
“Damien Tudehope, the Hon. John Ruddick, Ms Abigail Boyd, the Hon. Mark Latham and the Hon. Anthony D’Adam. Firstly, I address a comment made about the bill by the Legislation Review Committee in Legislation Review Digest No. 25/58. The committee noted that the amendment to section 21A (2 - h) of the Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999 in schedule 2 to the bill will apply retrospectively.”
News articles and press releases
Crimes Legislation Amendment (Racial and Religious Hatred) Bill 2025
Mr MICHAEL DALEY, Attorney General — 2025-02-11
Section 93ZA of the Crimes Act 1900 already makes it an offence to knowingly display, by public act and without reasonable excuse, a Nazi symbol. When the offence is committed by an individual, the offence is punishable by a fine of up to 100 penalty units or up to 12 months imprisonment, or both. The proposed amendments in the bill seek to strengthen section 93ZA of the Crimes Act by introducing an aggravated version of the offence with a higher maximum penalty. The aggravated version of the offence will apply when a Nazi symbol is displayed on or near a synagogue, a Jewish school or the Sydney Jewish Museum.