“Our current weak laws have meant that for far too long, Victorians have been able to get away with vilifying and assaulting Jews and people from other minority groups. We are pleased that the Victorian Government has taken steps to strengthen both the civil and criminal vilification laws. We urge the Parliament to speedily debate and implement these essential reforms. It would be regrettable if implementation were to drag out into the second half of 2025.

 “The Jewish community supports the Bill’s proposals to criminalise incitement to hatred and to introduce stronger penalties for those who are found guilty of incitement. It is welcome that this Bill also seeks to address vilification in online, given how much hate speech is spread through social media and extremist websites.

 “These reforms must address other emerging challenges, including stopping individuals who try to circumvent laws by using proxy words to vilify a particular minority and individuals who seek to boycott business-owners because of their religious, racial or ethnic identity.”

 “We note that the Bill proposes a new “political expression” defence. The JCCV looks forward to further engaging with the Victorian Government to ensure this defence does not become a catch-all measure that renders these new laws unworkable.”

 “This is a challenging and sensitive area of the law, but the intention at all times must be to create a society where all people, regardless of their background, feel welcome and safe.”

Naomi Levin
JCCV CEO