Strengthening anti-vilification laws to keep more Victorians safe
The Victorian Government this week introduced changes to anti-vilification laws for Victoria, with the Justice Legislation Amendment (Anti-vilification and Social Cohesion) Bill 2024 being tabled in Parliament.
CMY welcomes the announcement of these critical reforms, which aim to protect more Victorians from hate and vilification, and strengthen social cohesion. We acknowledge the Government’s ongoing investment and commitment to reform in this area.
Existing laws protect community members against vilification for race and religion. Under the Bill, these protections will be expanded to include other personal attributes, such as disability, gender identity, sex, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, or personal association with a person with a protected attribute.
If passed, the proposed changes to Victoria’s anti-vilification laws will:
- Expand criminal offences, introducing two new serious vilification criminal offences with higher maximum penalties to the Crimes Act 1958;
- Strengthen civil protections with two new protections introduced into the Equal Opportunity Act 2010: a modified incitement-based protection and a new harm-based protection;
- Protect and promote human rights – creating a new defence for political expression and recognising exceptions for religious and artistic purposes, and more.
- Enable Victorians who have been vilified to seek a remedy – expanding the powers of the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission to better respond to vilification.
Read more the Premier’s media release or more about proposed changes to Victoria’s anti-vilification laws here.
The Government acknowledged concerns raised by some communities about potential impacts on freedom of expression and religion, noting while there are diverse opinions among Victorians on these reforms, their feedback has been carefully considered in developing the Bill.
The long-awaited changes are the culmination of more than five years of work, which included a number of consultation phases and opportunities for the community to engage. CMY provided feedback and input at various stages, from the initial Inquiry into Anti-vilification Protections to our submission last month responding to the proposed changes – bringing the concerns and experiences of multicultural young people and families we work with into the conversation.
We are pleased to see the Government’s commitment to strengthening anti-vilification laws, and welcome the proposed changes. The expanded and strengthened protections will recognise the diverse and intersecting identities of individuals in our community, and ensure all Victorians can safely participate in daily life without fear of hate and vilification.