It will soon be a crime to harass, threaten, or intimidate anyone entering or leaving a religious building in NSW.
Those convicted will face penalties of up to $22,000 in fines or two years in jail.
The new crime falls under a package of laws that passed the State Parliament this week. The laws also target offensive graffiti and public displays of Nazi symbols.
New Laws
Under the new laws, NSW Police will be granted greater powers to disband protests and demonstrations near or within places of worship.
The legislation follows a series of what NSW Premier Chris Minns has called “disgusting acts of antisemitism and intimidation”.
These include an arson attack at a childcare centre near a synagogue in Sydney, and the discovery of an alleged planned antisemitic attack involving a caravan filled with explosives in the city’s north-west.
In Parliament last week, Minns said each attack “rips at the fabric of our shared values and the freedoms we enjoy”.
“We are a peaceful, tolerant country that has been free of that kind of racial or religious division... we cannot bend on that principle,” Minns said.
Opposition Leader Mark Speakman joined the Premier in condemning the violence.
“We cannot become a city where antisemitism or any form of racism or hate is allowed to take root,“ Speakman said.
Hate speech
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Alongside the new place of worship law, the Government also passed new hate speech legislation.
The new law makes it a crime to “intentionally and publicly incite hatred” towards anyone “on the grounds of race,” with the effect of causing a person to fear for their safety.
Individuals found guilty of the offence could face a sentence of up to two years imprisonment or a fine of up to $11,000. Companies and businesses that breach the laws face fines of up to $55,000.
LGBTQIA+
Some LGBTQIA+ advocates have said the new hate speech reforms are “prioritising the trauma and pain of one community over another.”
Equality Australia CEO Anna Brown said “there is no reason” the laws can’t be expanded to protect all marginalised communities.
“Any community that is being targeted by hate deserves to be protected under the law... the government should be stopping all hate before it escalates into acts of violence,” Brown said.
Federal hate crime laws
Earlier this month, the Federal Government also passed a new hate speech law introducing mandatory prison time for certain offences.
Australians convicted of publicly displaying a terrorist symbol now face a minimum one-year jail sentence.
The law also criminalises acts that “threaten force or violence” against individuals based on “race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, intersex status, disability, nationality, ethnic origin, or political opinion”.
