NSW Government Rejects Recommendation to Broaden Hate-Speech Offences

The Minns government released a confidential review by former Supreme Court judge John Sackar that examined whether hate-speech protections should be widened beyond racial hatred. Sackar’s report urged uniform protection for groups including sexual minorities, people with disabilities and others, warning that the current split between hate-speech and violence offences harms social cohesion. Attorney-General Michael Daley responded that expanding the offence would involve intricate issues of free speech, religion and consistent legal application, and therefore the proposal will not be pursued.

The decision leaves incitement based on race as the sole criminalised form of hate-speech under the Crimes Act. Greens MP Amanda Cohn denounced the months-long secrecy and urged faster action, while the government pledged to keep reviewing the rest of the report’s suggestions. The episode followed earlier parliamentary tensions, including the suspension of Labor frontbencher John Graham over attempts to force the review’s release.