this post was submitted on 16 Jul 2023
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I have just been going through the material for the feedback on the proposed anti-vilification laws.
I find it a bit disturbing that there is so much focus on which groups should be protected. I absolutely agree that we should widen the coverage of the laws, but this feels like an exercise of deciding who is deserving of protection and who is not. This seems likely to both leave gaps in who is protected, but also likely to end up with court cases where the offender argues that their behaviour was legal because they hate someone for an allowable reason. Some awful variation of "I don't hate gay people, I just hate rainbows".
I am definitely in favour of this over what we have now, but it does feel like starting with a list of groups deserving of protection is a terrible way to make a law.
I think they've covered a lot of marginalised groups which weren't previously. I agree though they should just outlaw vilification based on any percieved difference. Oh and make the spread of information which could cause others to vilify a crime as well. Freedom of speech like every other right has to be balanced with responsibility with not using it to cause other's pain.