Coalition guarantees support for hate speech Bill under one condition, amid pressure from Jewish leaders

Jacinta Allan has rejected a last-minute ultimatum to push through proposed hate speech laws, choking back tears in a plea to the opposition to back the Bill.

The Allan government will be forced to strike a deal with the progressive cross bench over controversial hate speech laws, after failing to gain bipartisan support.

While Labor’s majority saw the Bill sail through the lower house on Thursday, the Coalition refused to drop their demands and voted against proposed laws.

In a scathing letter to the opposition on Thursday, seen by the Herald Sun, Premier Jacinta Allan accused the opposition of negotiating in “bad faith”.

Jacinta Allan accused the Coalition of negotiating in ‘bad faith’ over hate speech laws. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

It came after the government dumped a contentious “political purpose defence” amid concerns it would weaken anti-vilification laws.

And introduced protections for “proselytising and preaching” in an attempt to win over Christian groups.

“My fear is we could amend this Bill a thousand ways only for you to discover a thousand problems, and all because your hard-Right MPs don’t want you to support the Bill,” she said.

In an email sent to the Premier on Wednesday, the opposition guaranteed it would support the Bill if a harm-based civil provision which gives people with a protected attribute – such as identifying as LGBTQIA+ – a say over what is considered unlawful vilification was removed.

“This subjective aspect will mean that the law will treat Victorians differently, and provide them with different legal protections, depending on a variety of factors that the reasonable Victorian person could not be expected to be able to know,” it read.

Opposition Leader Brad Battin signed the letter along with David Southwick, Michael O’Brien and Danny O’Brien. Picture: Diego Fedele

But the last-minute ultimatum was officially rejected by Ms Allan on Thursday, who said the Coalition’s proposed amendment would water down the Bill to the “point it becomes useless and toothless”.

“I ask you this: Who is better placed to say if something is misogynistic – a man or a woman?” she said.

It came as Ms Allan choked back tears at a press conference in last-ditch plea to Mr Battin to support proposed hate speech laws on Thursday, calling on him to “stand up to the extreme right wing of your party”.

The back-and-forth comes after four of Victoria’s most prominent Jewish leaders called the opposition’s refusal to back the Bill “disappointing” and urged all MPs to support the proposed reforms.

Originally published as Coalition guarantees support for hate speech Bill under one condition, amid pressure from Jewish leaders