New laws to ban Nazi symbols could be fast-tracked after the government was told it should be a matter of urgency.
The opposition introduced its own bill in the Senate to outlaw the use of such symbols, but a Labor-chaired committee found the draft laws raised problems.
These included how the bill would be enforced, whether it would stand up to a constitutional challenge and unintended consequences included making martyrs out of Nazis.
The Sydney Jewish Museum said language and gestures were also used to promote anti-semitism and discrimination and that neo-Nazi groups would be able to use actions not banned under the legislation.
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry said the bill needed to be flexible enough to cover the constant evolution of new racist symbols and actions.
Other religious groups also cited the need to carve out the use of the swastika for cultures that consider the symbol good or benign as it was originally derived from an ancient symbol for wellbeing or peace.
The committee also heard about the unintended consequences of the bill, including that the banning of the public display of Nazi symbols could hinder police investigations into extremism.
But the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation didn’t agree it would impact investigations.
Read the article by in The West Australian.