Under new hate speech reform proposals, NSW councils may soon wield enhanced authority to shut down unauthorized venues and impose fines as high as $220,000.
Premier Chris Minns unveiled these initiatives today, aiming to curb the misuse of venues as unapproved places of worship. This move is part of a broader strategy to dismantle what he termed “factories of hate,” targeting individuals propagating divisive rhetoric.
The proposed changes would empower councils to issue shutdown notices, disconnect utilities, and levy significant penalties against non-compliant offenders.
Previously, fines were capped at $11,000 for individuals and $110,000 for corporations. The new provisions would double these amounts to $22,000 for individuals and $220,000 for corporate entities.
Additionally, councils would need to engage with law enforcement before giving the green light to new public worship venues.
Minns expressed his concern following an incident in December, where the Canterbury-Bankstown Council closed the Al Madina Dawah Centre, associated with a contentious preacher, and could only impose a minor penalty.
The premier said it was hard to say exactly how prevalent illegal prayer halls were, but he was “sick of” being unable to close one down and having hate preachers simply move venues.
“These are done behind closed doors, they’re not easy to identify, they’re very difficult to close down,” he said.
“But increasingly, as a result of the broadcast or dissemination of individual sermons or lectures or hate spewed that we can identify, I don’t think the rules or laws have been fit for purpose to confront them in our communities.”
The premier added that allowing illegal prayer halls to operate would be unfair to the mosques, churches and synagogues that go through the proper channels.
Minns insisted the rules did not target a single religion and would apply equally to everyone.
“It applies to everyone. That goes for all of our legislation, that goes for all of our hate speech laws, and I think the best way of demonstrating the government’s commitment to have this apply across the board is people will be arrested and charged for hate speech regardless of who it applies to,” he said.
“That applies equally for a young woman who might be wearing a scarf in a suburban street in Sydney as it applies to an orthodox Jewish man in Bondi.”
The Canterbury-Bankstown Council issued a cease-use directive to the Al Madina Dawah Centre after finding the site was never approved to operate as a prayer hall.
Wissam Haddad, a controversial preacher who has been reportedly linked to the alleged Bondi terrorist Naveed Akram and found in court to have breached the Racial Discrimination Act for antisemitic lectures in July, was a guest speaker at the centre.
Haddad has denied any prior knowledge of the Bondi attack.
At the time, Minns signalled that the Al Madina Dawah Centre closure was not the end of the matter, and that there would be more in the weeks to come.
