Free speech and journalism suffer poor legislation. What’s the scam with 18C?

Judge McDonald forced journalist Mary Kostakidis to continue her long and expensive fight against the Zionist lobby. What is fraud?

The scam is that Section 18 of the Racial Discrimination Act is so poorly drafted that it effectively allows people who voice (or share) their opinions about what is happening in a war zone to be persecuted through the courts. Or in any public conflict. Or to voice an opinion in a public forum.

All the law requires is for someone to claim offence, and for us to go to court.

Although there will be some Criticizes McDonald’s decisionHe is merely the arbiter of weak legislation that has not yet been fully tested in court.

Former SBS presenter and journalist Mary Kostakidis has been sued by the Zionist Federation of Australia for making racially motivated remarks while posting on X about the genocide in Gaza.

Racial Discrimination Act to be tested in Mary Kostakidis case

Yesterday’s decision was to decide whether Kostakidis’ claims on the merits and merits of the case should be dismissed. The court ruled in his favor on some points, rejected many, and allowed ZFA to make further changes to its statement of claim.

Kostakidis’ lawyer Stephen Keim previously argued:

Criticizing a state’s actions or political ideology has nothing to do with racial discrimination.

Maybe the law says otherwise, maybe it doesn’t. The case will go to court next year.

** Breaking News: Interim Decision in my case today (NB journalists this affects you)
‘It is not logically impossible for a particular news reporter to take certain actions because of people’s race, ethnic or national origin, even while acting as a news reporter.

— 💧Mary Kostakidis (@MaryKostakidis) October 9, 2025

What would be the consequences for Australia if the International Court of Justice ruled against Israel in the genocide case?