QLD's expanded hate crimes bill greeted with fears of misuse

Public acts are defined as “any form of communication to the public, including by speaking, writing, printing, displaying notices … or by electronic means” – thus encompassing social media posts.`   

The bill also specifically targets the display of Nazi symbols, following the lead of NSW and Victoria, which already outlaw displaying the swastika.

In NSW, however, displaying the Nazi symbol only warrants a year of imprisonment or a $100,000 fine, the Daily Mail reported. And the laws in Victoria and NSW specifically exempt people who display swastikas for religious purposes, considering the symbol’s wide use in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.

In a public hearing held earlier this week by the Legal Affairs and Safety Committee, which is currently studying the new hate crimes bill, Queensland Council for Civil Liberties president Michael Cope expressed his concern that Hindus – and others using the swastika for religious or cultural purposes – could end up criminally charged for displaying the symbol under the proposed legislation.

While he accepted that the new hate crimes bill excused the use of the swastika for genuine religious, cultural, or educational purposes, Cope pointed out that the decision to prosecute a person under the bill would be “made by some police officer who may not understand” the context in which a swastika was being used.