NSW number plate crack down as Nazi rego cancelled

Transport for NSW will tighten systems filtering out hate speech after a NSW number plate bearing a neo Nazi dogwhistle for “Heil Hitler” was spotted in Sydney.

Transport for NSW will be asked to tighten its hate speech filters after a neo Nazi phrase was spotted on a NSW number plate in Sydney this week.

A concerned motorist reported the number plate which reads 88 Sieg – 88 is slang for Heil Hitler and sieg is German for “victory”.

After a complaint from the public Transport for NSW began the process of cancelling the registration, but roads minister John Graham said this should have never happened in the first place.

“There is no place in NSW for neo-Nazis. We are not going to tolerate hatred and intolerance being spread in the community,” he said.

NAZI 88-SIEG Number plate has been cancelled by Service NSW after by NSW Police received complaints

“These number plates should not have been issued. I have asked Transport for NSW to urgently tighten the system to prevent any repeat.”

“I have also asked Transport for NSW to report back to me with options to change the regulations so that we can get plates back faster than is currently possible once a motorist has been served notice in cases that involve anti-Semitism or that incite hatred. I don’t want plates such as these on the road a single day longer than they need to be.”

SNSW Minister for Roads John Graham. Picture: NewsWire / Nicholas Eagar

A Transport for NSW spokesperson apologised for the slip up, confirming the plate was issued in January.

The incident comes at the height of the Jewish holy days, with Yom Kippur beginning Sunday night seen as the most holy day in the religious calendar.

The Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin said this is just one example of “brazen” neo-Nazi hatred lurking under the surface.

“The time has come for a national antisemitism education program across Australian schools to provide resources and support to teachers and parents to understand and defeat this form of hatred, particularly before it spreads to universities, the workplace and broader society,” he said.

The NSW Government last year banned the public display of Nazi symbols.

Data from the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research shows just one person has been found guilty of the crime from August 2022 to June 2023.