The government’s decision to water down race hate protection laws could cost it up to six seats due to a backlash from ethnic groups, even though the changes will never become law, party insiders have warned.
The proposed changes to the wording of section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act have no chance of passing the Senate after the Nick Xenophon Team said it would agree only to tightening the process to stop vexatious and frivolous complaints being lodged.
It would join Labor and the Greens in blocking any attempt by the government to remove as offences under the act the words “insult, offend and humiliate” and replace them with “harass”.
“The Nick Xenophon Team does not support the government’s proposed changes to section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, but we do support sensible changes to the process involved in the handling of such complaints so the process does not become the punishment,” Senator Xenophon said.
Read the full article by Phillip Coorey at The Australian Financial Review.