The Minister for Home Affairs, Hon Tony Burke MP, wrote to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (the Committee) on 12 January 2026 to refer an Exposure Draft of the Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism Bill 2026 for inquiry and report.
The Exposure Draft legislation and its Explanatory Memorandum are available on the Attorney-General’s website here: https://www.ag.gov.au/crime/hate-crime-offences
The proposed legislation aims to further criminalise hateful conduct, expand powers to allow for cancellation or refusal of visas and set up a national firearms buyback scheme. The Bill contains five schedules of amendments:
- Schedule 1 contains amendments to legislation regarding criminal law
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Schedule 2 contains amendments related to migration laws
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Schedule 3 contains customs amendments
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Schedule 4 contains amendments to firearms-related legislation
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Schedule 5 contains transitional rules.
The Committee invites submissions to the inquiry by 4pm, Thursday, 15 January 2026.
Please note that the Committee’s review concerns the exposure draft bill, not broader issues that may be the subject of other inquiries. Submissions will only be accepted if they relate to some or all parts of the proposed new laws.
Further information about making a submission to a parliamentary committee is available here.