New genocide advocacy law

CONFIRMATION from Attorney-General George Brandis that a new federal criminal offence of advocacy of genocide will be “introduced early in the new Parliament” was cautiously welcomed by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry’s (ECAJ) executive director Peter Wertheim.

Wertheim identified several problems with the draft legislation that need addressing, particularly in regard to defences that would be available to those charged.

A spokesperson for Brandis told The AJN the proposed new offence was included in a counter terrorism bill assessed by the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security late last year, “but wasn’t debated or passed before the Parliament dissolved”.

Calling for fine-tuning and clarification on matters of concern prior to the new Parliament receiving and debating the bill, Wertheim said, “One positive is that the new criminal offence will only require proof of ‘advocacy’ of genocide, rather than the more difficult to prove ‘incitement’.”

Read the article by Shane Desiatnik in the Australian Jewish News.