Leaders of the ACT's Jewish community are urging the territory government to strengthen and clarify its laws against hate speech, as the Attorney-General declines to follow New South Wales in pledging to criminalise specific pro-Palestinian protest slogans.
Calls for Clarity and Enforcement
Athol Morris, President of the ACT Jewish Community, has argued that existing laws need to be more comprehensible and actively enforced. "Our laws ought to be usable, fit for purpose," Mr Morris told The Canberra Times. "That doesn't mean stronger ... It means more comprehensible, so that people know what they're doing, and more willing to be enforced."
He emphasised the need for authorities who are "not too frightened to bring the prosecutions." Mr Morris specifically wants the territory to outlaw the phrases "globalise the intifada" and "from the river to the sea," mirroring a pledge made by NSW Premier Chris Minns. He acknowledged, however, that banning phrases is a moving target, as new slogans are likely to emerge.
Government Response and National Context
ACT Attorney-General Tara Cheyne has not committed to banning such chants. In response to questions, she stated the government had "committed to review and strengthen hate crime and serious vilification laws in this term of government." She confirmed the ACT is monitoring legislation debated in NSW and will use 2026 to ensure laws are "fit for purpose."
This debate occurs alongside the launch of a national hate crimes database by Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke on Wednesday, December 24, 2025. The dashboard aims to measure the effectiveness of hate laws across Australia. Its data reveals a significant challenge in the ACT: the territory recorded no charges under its own serious vilification laws in the 2025-26 period.
ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr described policing hate speech as "very challenging at sub-national government level" but committed to considering changes in 2026.
Diverging Views on Protest and Speech
The issue has sparked strong opinions. Former federal Labor frontbencher Mike Kelly, co-convenor of Labor Friends of Israel, labelled the chant "from the river to the sea" as a "promotion of genocide." He linked "globalise the intifada" to calls for violent revolution.
In contrast, human rights group Amnesty International Australasia has cautioned against restricting protest rights. Sam Klintworth, Amnesty's national director, stated, "Criticism of genocide, war crimes and other human rights abuses committed by nation states does not constitute hate speech." The ACT Greens are also expected to oppose following the NSW approach.
Enforcement Record and Recent Cases
ACT Policing provided context on the use of vilification laws. While the new database showed no recent charges, police clarified that a woman was charged with two offences under the laws in November 2025, accused of abusing an officer over their apparent sexual orientation.
Prior to that, only two people have been charged under ACT serious vilification laws since 2016: one in November 2019 and another in May 2023, both related to racial vilification. Furthermore, no one has been charged under a separate law banning the public display of Nazi symbols, which carries a maximum penalty of 12 years' jail.
Separately, under Commonwealth laws, four Canberrans have been charged since July 2024, including a man accused of performing a Nazi salute outside a synagogue and teenagers allegedly drawing Nazi symbols in a shopping centre bathroom.
The push for law reform follows a report by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry noting a surge in anti-Semitic incidents in the ACT in the year to September 2024, linked to slogans and abuse targeting Jewish students and academics at the Australian National University.
