by Will Jones, Daily Sceptic:
Australians in the state of Victoria could go to prison for up to five years for “hate speech” under new anti-vilification laws proposed by the state Government.
Under the proposed laws, it would be an offence to “incite hatred against, serious contempt for, revulsion towards or severe ridicule” of a person or group based on their sex, gender identity or race.
It would also be illegal to “threaten physical harm or property damage on the ground of a protected attribute”.
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The new laws would lower the legal threshold for prosecuting people for vilification and would add gender identity, sex, sex characteristics, sexual orientation and disability to the list of protected attributes alongside race and religion, which are already protected.
Online, these laws will apply to anyone, anywhere who vilifies a person in Victoria, although the Government acknowledges that this may be difficult to enforce.
Offline, these laws will apply to both public and private interactions.
The changes, which amount to a heavy rewrite of the Racial and Religious Tolerance Act, are intended to “reduce the harm caused by vilification, protect more people, reflect the seriousness of hateful conduct and ensure those who experience vilification can easily seek help”.
