Media Releases

AIJAC welcomes the adoption by the Victorian Government of legislation banning the public display of the Nazi swastika outside of educational, artistic and religious contexts, as well as the introduction of a similar bill in the New South Wales parliament yesterday.

Encouragingly, Victorian Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes said that the swastika “does nothing but cause further pain and division. It’s a proud moment to see these important laws pass with bipartisan support – I’m glad to see that no matter what side of politics, we can agree that this vile behaviour will not be tolerated in Victoria.”

NSW Attorney-General Mark Speakman also released a welcome statement on a newly-introduced bill, saying “Hateful and vilifying conduct is completely unacceptable in our community. This Bill recognises that the public display of Nazi symbols is generally considered abhorrent, except in very limited circumstances such as for education purposes, and causes profound offence and distress.”

AIJAC hopes both Queensland and Tasmania, which have also announced they intend to introduce swastika bans, and the other states and territories as well will move quickly to introduce and adopt such legislation. These bans are an important tool to deter open displays of antisemitism and further marginalise racist extremists, and will help strengthen communal cohesion and harmony across Australia.