From the Pub to Prison - The War on Free Speech Has Begun!

When speech becomes a crime, democracy dies and Australia just took that dangerous step.

QUICK READ, THE ARTICLE IN DOT POINT FORM:

• The government recently introduced new hate speech laws that are overly broad and vague, posing a major threat to free speech.

• These laws lower the threshold for criminal liability, allowing prosecution based on what authorities think someone’s words might cause rather than intent to harm.

• Everyday Australians risk being criminalised for expressing unpopular political, cultural, or religious opinions.

• Similar laws in the UK have led to arrests over trivial speech, creating a climate of fear and self censorship.

• The bill was rushed through the Senate with minimal debate, undermining democratic scrutiny - prompting me to vote against it as anti free speech and anti Australian.

That old political maxim, ‘Never let a good crisis go to waste…’ comes to mind when considering the government’s restrictions on free speech.

Antisemitism has been at crisis levels in this country for two years.

But rather than use existing laws against incitement to crack down on the problem; the government recently created new laws which are so broad, and so vague, that they will create far more problems than they solve.

These new laws are not a solution to hate, they are an attack on the free speech of ordinary Australians.

These laws may well punish radical extremists but they will also capture everyday Australians, who could be criminalised for no more than casually expressing unpopular political or religious views.

The new laws lower the threshold for hate speech to such an extent that a person could be criminalised for what authorities decide their words might lead to.

Instead of proving that a person meant to cause harm with their words, the laws mean that authorities would only need to prove that a person’s words could have caused harm.

As sure as night follows day, these new laws will be weaponised by activists to go after people they disagree with.

If you dare to say there are only two genders, you could run the risk of being accused of harming trans people and run the risk of criminalisation.

If you dare to say some particular religions are not compatible with Australian culture, you could run the risk of being prosecuted for stirring up hatred.

If you dare to say that unchecked immigration from this region, or that, is ruining the country, you will run the risk of being pursued for inciting hate.

The result is that people will start self-censoring their own words and thoughts. How can we tolerate such a situation? If Australians are not free to say what they truly think, then in what sense are Australians free?

Worse, people could be arrested for innocuous social media posts or opinions expressed over a beer at the pub.

This is not exaggeration.

This is exactly what we are seeing in the UK where similar laws were passed and are now used to make life a living hell for good people expressing unpopular views.

It is outrageous that Senators were given just one hour to debate these laws.

That one of the most consequential bills to come before this House is rushed through in such a fashion is disgraceful.

The Senate is supposed to be a house of review. It has instead become a house of approval.

Rather than being stacked with party aligned rubber stampers who simply vote for bills along party lines, the Senate needs to be reconfigured so that independent members give genuine consideration to proposed bills.

That is not what is happening here, the system is entirely broken but I digress, that is a piece for another time.

The free speech of Australians are now greatly diminished as a result of this badly written and ill-considered law which was waved through the Senate by members who are more concerned about lunch than about the consequences.

This is a bad law. It is anti free speech and anti Australian. It was an easy decision for me to vote no.

Senator Ralph Babet, Senator for Victoria, United Australia Party.