NSW Labor accused of rushing inquiry into banning phrases such as ‘globalise the intifada’ over the holidays | Bondi beach terror attack
The New South Wales parliament’s inquiry into banning speech including “globalising the intifada” will not hold a public hearing and will need several days to receive submissions before producing its final report.
The NSW opposition has expressed concerns that a Labor-controlled inquiry set up to investigate the banning of “hateful speech” following the deadly Bondi attack has been rushed, limiting communities’ ability to consult on legal changes.
Opposition leader Kellie Sloane said the committee on measures to ban slogans that incite hatred had been “rushed through with no notice, no public hearing and on an incredibly short notice during the holiday season”.
“If the government is serious about tackling hate speech and antisemitism in our society, it will offer communities the opportunity to engage by launching a thorough investigation.”
The deadline for applications is January 12, just three weeks after the investigation was referred to a parliamentary committee on December 22. The committee is expected to report to the government at the end of January.
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The inquiry was flagged off by Prime Minister Chris Minns after changes to gun control, hate speech and protest laws were rushed through parliament following the Bondi attack last month.
Minns called the phrase “globalizing the intifada” “hateful, violent speech” and said he planned to ban it, but the government decided to ask the committee to investigate bans on “hateful statements” before introducing the change.
The inquiry’s terms of reference require it to consider “the threat to community cohesion posed by the use of phrases such as ‘globalising the intifada'” and how the use of hate speech, as well as existing controversial hate speech laws, can be prevented without restricting the freedom of political communication implicit in the Australian constitution.
It is being run by the law and safety committee of the NSW lower house. The composition of this committee was decided by a majority of MPs at the beginning of the Minns government’s term in 2023.
The group consists of four Labor MPs, including leader Edmond Atalla, as well as Greens MP Tamara Smith, independent Philip Donato and opposition representative, Nationals MP and shadow police minister Paul Toole. It does not include any Liberal members.
The Liberals called on the government to launch an independent investigation with public hearings and a longer time frame. Guardian Australia understands this will include direct Liberal representation on the committee in addition to Toole.
Atalla defended the committee’s timeline in a statement, saying the committee “has a clear objective of ensuring that parliament can act quickly when it returns in early February.”
“Given this timeframe, the inquiry will not hold public hearings,” he told Guardian Australia. Atalla said participation was “broad and comprehensive” and 100 stakeholders were approached for input.
“We will not allow the opposition to slow down the urgent need for hateful slogans like ‘globalize the intifada’.”
This phrase, which means uprising or “total expulsion” in Arabic, is used to refer to two uprisings by Palestinians against Israel in 1987 and 2000 and remains controversial.
The inquiry’s terms of reference include assessing “examples of international best practice to combat the use of such slogans”, including in the United Kingdom, where police arrested protesters allegedly calling for an intifada.
The NSW Jewish Board of Deputies welcomed the move to ban the phrase as “a landmark moment in confronting the proliferating hatred and incitement on our streets”.
The peak body said last month: “Globalizing the intifada means killing a Jew, wherever you find him. This is a call to violence and it leads to violence.”
Josh Lees, organizer of the Palestine Action Group (PAG), announced the group’s intention to challenge legislation restricting public gatherings after last month’s terrorist attacks, saying the statement was “a fundamental act of supporting Palestinians’ uprising against oppression, illegal occupation and genocide.”
“The fact that Chris Minns wants to ban it may make it popular. That’s the irony of this whole thing.”
Asked about Lees’ comments, Minns said: “I think [the phrase ‘globalise the intifada’] leads to incompatibility. “I think this should be part of the legislative changes we are proposing in NSW.”
Lees told Guardian Australia that PAG, a frequent organizer of pro-Palestinian protests including the march on the Sydney Harbor bridge in August, had not contacted the inquiry but planned to make a public statement.
