Labor members of the parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security earlier this monthrejected a Coalition proposal to ban the Nazi salutein a rare breakdown of bipartisanship within the committee.
Peter Khalil,the Labor chair of the committee,said at the time the government’s intention to outlaw symbols such as the swastika but not the Nazi salute was informed by police advice,noting laws could not be effective unless they could be enforced.
The Labor majority on the committee said it “strongly condemns the actions of those who would seek to intimidate the parts of the Australian community with physical gestures such as the Nazi salute”.
“However,the committee is of the view that such an offence would not be appropriate as a federal offence,but rather is an appropriate matter for state and territory law,” they wrote.
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The government changed its mind in a bid to fend off parliamentary debate about the issue and ensure the passage of its hate symbols bill was a unifying moment,even if the Nazi salute ban proved difficult to enforce.
Opposition LeaderPeter Dutton earlier this month accused Anthony Albanese of not doing enough to combat antisemitism,a charge the prime minister passionately rejected.