Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced that the federal government will strategically divide aspects of its proposed hate speech legislation to ensure each section garners the necessary support from parliament.
This morning, Waters expressed the party’s willingness to collaborate with the government on passing gun laws, although she emphasized that other parts of the bill require significant revisions.
“The Greens are prepared to join forces with the government to approve the gun laws next week, but substantial work remains for the rest of the omnibus bill,” Waters declared.
“Every hour brings new concerns from legal experts, religious organizations, and the community regarding the omnibus bill,” she added.
“This legislation is intricate, filled with significant challenges and gaps, and the approach to refining it should not be hasty,” she cautioned.
Waters suggested that the federal government should “begin anew with a bill designed to safeguard all individuals from hatred and discrimination.”
“We are willing to sit down with the government to find a way forward, but it’s clear that the amount of negotiations and legal analysis required to produce a good outcome can’t be done in the extremely tight timeframe the government has created,” she said.
“We need to keep all people in the community safe from discrimination and hatred, and good laws don’t come from rushed work.”
Members of the party have also said the laws should not be used to shut down legitimate political protests.
“The opposition will continue to scrutinise this legislation carefully, but from what we have seen so far, it looks pretty unsalvageable,” Ley said this week.
“As it stands, the government’s proposal is half-baked, and Australians deserve far better.”
Ley claimed the proposed changes do not address the root issue of the Bondi attack.
“We have got this bundle of measures heading in many different directions, criticised in a very valid way by a whole range of people, but not actually addressing the issue,” Ley added.
“Parliament should have been reconvened before Christmas to actually demonstrate leadership, compassion and the determination that I have spoken of every day since to tackle radical Islamic extremism and eradicate antisemitism.”
