Former Labor frontbencher and army veteran Mike Kelly has launched a sharp critique of the federal government, accusing it of being too slow to bolster Australia's hate speech laws and confront Islamic extremism.
Veteran MP's Anger Over Government Response
The ex-member for Eden-Monaro, a long-time supporter of Israel and co-convenor of Labor Friends of Israel, said comments by Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke this week had made him "quite angry". Dr Kelly was responding to Mr Burke's interview on ABC's 7.30 program on Wednesday night, where the minister stated he had "wanted to be able to take action against [fundamentalist Islamist organisation] Hizb ut-Tahrir my entire political career" but the group had "managed to keep themselves just below the legal threshold".
Dr Kelly contrasted the Australian approach with that of the United Kingdom, which last year expanded powers under its terrorism laws to tackle anti-Semitism and proscribed Hizb ut-Tahrir as a terrorist organisation. "They had a similar threshold issue," Dr Kelly said. "That was last year. We liken ourselves to the UK. It is now December 2025."
New Laws Unveiled Amidst Pressure
On Thursday, under sustained pressure, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Minister Burke announced a plan to strengthen legislative tools against hate. The measures include lowering the threshold for the federal hate speech offence and making hate an aggravating factor in sentencing for crimes involving online threats and harassment.
The government will also legislate to grant the home affairs minister the power to cancel or reject visas of individuals who spread hate and division. This follows urgent calls from Jewish community leaders for action since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and the more recent Bondi Beach anti-Semitic terrorist attack.
Mr Burke defended the government's record, stating on Tuesday it had already "taken our hate speech laws to the toughest they have ever been in Australian history". However, Dr Kelly argued the government should have acted sooner, particularly after warnings from Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Director-General Mike Burgess about Hizb ut-Tahrir's role in fuelling anti-Semitic narratives.
Holocaust Education and a Path Forward
Dr Kelly welcomed the Prime Minister's commitment to implement recommendations from the report by Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, Jillian Segal. A key component is increased Holocaust education starting from primary school, with a particular focus on universities.
The federal government has pledged $4.4 million to expand the educational arm of the National Jewish Memorial Centre, which hosts around 11,000 student visits annually. The expanded program will cover topics like Weimar Germany and Adolf Hitler's rise, emphasising multiculturalism and migration. Dr Kelly clarified the program would not explicitly address the current war in Palestine, though student questions may arise.
"If you want to have disagreements and you want to criticise the Netanyahu government, by all means. We have members of our community, like myself, who personally don't like the Netanyahu government," he said, "but the war itself is a whole different thing."
Dr Kelly expressed hope the government would move swiftly to legislate the proposed changes, warning "We can't take anything for granted now" and that Australia would remain "vulnerable for a while" as laws and security funding are improved.
