Liberty Victoria strongly condemns yesterday’s announcement by the Allan Government that it plans to give Victoria Police the power to outlaw protest.
The Bondi massacre has sent shockwaves through our community. It has caused immense grief and fear among the Jewish community, who should be free to practise their faith and culture without fear of violence. The atrocities at Bondi necessitate a response that will actually address the causes of violence and keep people safe.
Giving police the power to ban protest will not enhance community safety. There is no evidence of any link between any protest and the Bondi massacre.
These proposed police powers would fundamentally weaken our democracy. The right to protest is essential in a thriving democracy. The right to free speech and freedom of assembly are protected in Victoria’s Charter of Human Rights. These essential democratic rights must only be restricted where there is a good justification. Given the absence of any connection between protests and Bondi’s horrendous antisemitic violence, the proposed laws are an unjustified intrusion on our rights.
Quotes attributable to Gemma Cafarella, President of Liberty Victoria:
“The horrific violence at Bondi necessitates evidence-based responses to address the causes of extremist violence, not knee-jerk restrictions on peaceful protest”.
“Conflating peaceful protest with the unrelated violence at Bondi is both wrong and counterproductive. It diverts attention from meaningful efforts to understand and tackle extremist ideology and behaviour. Jewish people – and our whole community – deserve a response that is informed and evidence-based”.
We also oppose the proposed changes to the laws to remove the requirement that the Director of Public Prosecutions must consent to charges of criminal vilification. The requirement for DPP consent provides an important safeguard to ensure that prosecutions are indeed in the public interest.
Part of a disappointing trend
The senseless loss of life at Bondi illustrates the need for genuine and considered action to tackle racial and religious intolerance.
Disappointingly, the Allan Government’s announcements are part of a trend of governments opting for political point-scoring instead of taking meaningful steps to keep people safer.
Instead, Liberty Victoria supports adoption of the Australian Human Rights Commission’s National Anti-Racism Framework.
Special Envoy report
Liberty Victoria similarly does not consider that the adoption of the Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism’s ‘plan to combat antisemitism’ (Segal report) is the right course. We have previously said that the report does not evidence a genuine or serious inquiry into prejudice and discrimination. Instead, the report makes recommendations that, if adopted, likely stifle legitimate criticism of Israel and the political ideology of Zionism.
Vitally, the Segal report adopts a definition of antisemitism that has been widely rejected by international civil society organisations (including some Jewish organisations) on the basis that it inappropriately conflates criticism of Israel with antisemitism. Kenneth Stern, the lead author of the definition, has said that it has been “weaponised”, and that adopting it in this context would be a “disaster” and counter-productive to combatting antisemitism.
The definition of antisemitism must carefully differentiate between hostility, prejudice and discrimination on the basis of Judaism (which must always be opposed), and legitimate criticism of Israel, the Israeli Defence Force, and Zionism. We note that that distinction has been adopted in a recent Federal Court judgment.
Comments attributable to Gemma Cafarella:
“Now is a time when it is vitally important that governments act to understand and reduce discrimination and prejudice against minority groups. Reliance on the Segal report would be a crucial missed opportunity to take meaningful action to keep people safe.”
A health democracy depends on governments that protect free speech and work to unite communities, not fracture them
We have also been profoundly troubled by public commentary, including from politicians, that seeks to stigmatise people of Muslim faith and cynically invokes the Bondi attacks to advance anti-immigration narratives.
Research from the Scanlon Foundation Research Institute shows that Australians of Muslim faith overwhelmingly experience the highest levels of prejudice of all faiths, with the rate increasing every year since 2023.
This is a moment that calls for leadership that builds trust, reinforces our shared bonds, and resists harmful and racist rhetoric that damages communities.