IS brides would go to jail in Australia to get children out of Syria; Pauline Hanson calls for referendum to avoid hate speech laws
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson said she would push for a referendum to establish a right to free speech that would make it harder for her widely condemned remarks about Muslims to fall foul of the law.
The anti-immigrant populist party has recently used online posts to falsely claim that Labour’s post-Bondi hate crime laws are being used by “political elites” to jail Labor over its statement that there are no “good” Muslims, directing its supporters to a webpage to register as members of One Nation.
Labor’s amendments did not change anti-defamation laws targeting speech, after the government withdrew these proposals following a backlash from free speech advocates. Federal police confirmed they received complaints following his comments on Sky News on February 16 and police are assessing the reports.
Hanson’s spokesman said One Nation wants to protect a constitutional right to free speech that requires a referendum and the support of a majority of voters in most states.
Unlike the US, Australia has no express right to free speech. The Supreme Court found that there was an implied limitation in the Constitution on the government’s power to prohibit discussion of political issues.
Read the full story from our political correspondent Paul Sakkal.
