You all get 18C! ALP revives plan for mega hate-speech law

And the People’s Republic of Victoria wants to ramp up its own anti-speech laws.

Chris Merritt reports on Labor’s plans to attack free speech. The Australian, yesterday:

Labor is considering a secret plan to extend the reach of section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act to include people claiming they have been offended or insulted because of their sexual orientation, disabilities or age.

Labor’s Mark Dreyfus says there’s no secret plan. He quite openly admits to wanting to roll back free speech. Statement to the press, yesterday:

There is no “secret plan” to overhaul discrimination law in this country. I made comments last week at a public forum, in front of more than 200 people including Liberal MP Tim Wilson, that refer to a longstanding policy in Labor’s national platform to consolidate anti-discrimination law ... Labor is unwavering in its support of section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act. We won this battle in 2014, and we will stand with multicultural communities and win it again.

Dreyfus tried to pass a mega-18C law when he was Julia Gillard’s attorney-general but the proposal was a flop. ABC News online, March 20, 2013:

Mr Dreyfus insists Labor is not dumping the draft of the Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Bill, saying it just needs more work after a Senate committee recommended sweeping changes last month ... Some groups described the draft bill as an attack on free speech which could encourage vexatious discrimination claims and create new grounds for discrimination, such as political opinion, industrial activity, medical history and nationality.

Deja vu? The Australian, yesterday:

Those at risk would include priests, rabbis, imams and other religious leaders who publicly oppose same-sex marriage. Labor’s proposal also opens the prospect that debate over the cost of the National Disability Insurance Scheme could be truncated because of the risk of litigation by those who might feel offended or insulted.

Will Labor also resurrect its media reforms as part of its crusade against free speech? ABC News online, March 11, 2013:

The Public Interest Media Advocate ... would also be put in charge of assessing whether media company mergers pass a new “public interest test”.

“Media organisations have obligations to the Australian public,” Senator Conroy said. “This includes obligations to fairness in reporting, as well as providing timely responses to complaints and criticism.”

In Victoria, the state Labor government has promised anti-free-speech laws if Canberra changes 18C. Multicultural Affairs Minister Robin Scott’s statement, Wednesday:

We will review Victoria’s Racial and Religious Tolerance Act 2001 to consider ways to strengthen legislative protections, should the federal Coalition be successful with their amendments.

How does that square with the Victorian government’s much lauded “values statement” from earlier this year? Victorian and Proud of It website, March 1:

The freedom to be yourself includes freedom of speech ...

Be very careful what you say when the Labor Party is in power. Mark Dreyfus at the Jewish Community Council of Victoria, March 15:

One of the things we’ll be looking at is this very point of whether or not we should set a standard about speech generally ...