Hate speech laws in Australia

Hate speech laws in Australia give redress to someone who is the victim of discrimination, vilification or injury on grounds that differ from one jurisdiction to another. Since the 20th century, all Australian states and territories had introduced legislation to give redress when a person is victimised on account of skin colour, ethnicity, national origin, or race. Some jurisdictions have also given redress when a person is victimised on account of religion, disability, gender identity, HIV/AIDS status, or sexual orientation. Section 18C of the Commonwealth Racial Discrimination Act 1975 makes racial vilification a civil offence, although attempts to make racial vilification a criminal offence have failed. Following the 2025 Bondi Beach shooting, a bill was introduced by the Albanese government to define certain types of hate speech that would be a criminal offence. On 20 January 2026, the bill was passed by both Houses of Parliament, to be known as the Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Criminal and Migration Laws) Act 2026.

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