Australia’s racial discrimination laws are “inconsistent with Jewish theology”, do not address anti-Semitism and would have muzzled biblical prophets, according to members of Jewish communities in Sydney and Melbourne.
David Adler, a Sydney-based health professional, and Avi Yemini, a former Israeli soldier who recently established the independent Jewish Council of Australia, say sections 18C and 18D of the Racial Discrimination Act should be repealed because they contradict the scripturally enshrined principle of free speech.
Malcolm Turnbull announced a parliamentary inquiry into 18C and 18D last month amid growing concern in Coalition ranks about the use of the provisions.
A complaint over a cartoon by The Australian’s Bill Leak about indigenous parenting and personal responsibility and the dismissal of a complaint against three QUT students after they complained on social media about being ejected from an indigenous-only computer lab has fanned a mood in Coalition ranks for changes to the laws.
In their submission to the parliamentary joint committee on human rights, Dr Adler and Mr Yemini argued that if the prophet Elijah was alive today, he would be subjected to “legal jeopardy” for things he said.
Read the full article by Sam Buckingham-Jones at The Australian.