Pauline Hanson Vows to Oppose Labor’s Anti-Semitism, Hate Bill

One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson says Labor’s proposed new anti-hate laws could backfire and criminalise displays of national pride.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson and Senator Malcolm Roberts (R) during the March for Australia rally, which called for a slowdown in Australia’s immigration intake amid an ongoing housing and inflation crisis, in Canberra, Australia on Aug. 31, 2025. AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has pledged to oppose the Labor government’s proposed anti-Semitism and hate speech laws.

The senator warns the proposed Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism Bill 2026 contains too many loose definitions and is concerned it could echo the UK government’s crackdown and arrest of individuals posting on social media.

“Labor’s proposed law to combat anti-Semitism could see a person jailed for up to five years for saying Australia’s the greatest country in the world,” Hanson claimed in a statement posted to X.

“We don’t need new laws to protect Australians from anti-Semitism.

“We need to enforce existing laws, something the Albanese government—to its eternal shame—didn’t do to protect Jewish Australians from anti-Semitism.”

Hanson said the bill was rushed, with only a day’s parliamentary debate afforded and a “snap Senate Committee inquiry that’s barely hours’ long.”

“Australians could be stripped of their freedom of speech and opinion, and their ability to express pride in their culture and nationality,” she said.

“This bill is fraught with all sorts of potential unintended consequences, which is always what happens when you use subjective language in legislation that is open to differing interpretations.

“For example, you could even go to prison for saying Australia’s the best country in the world because it could be interpreted as ‘disseminating ideas of superiority.’”

Hanson pledged to oppose the bill also saying firearm owners shouldn’t be the target of the government’s response to the Bondi terror attack, which targeted a Jewish celebration and killed 15 people while injuring 40 others.

“I very much fear Australia is heading down a path where we become like the United Kingdom, where police come to people’s homes and take them to jail for a social media post.”

Liberal MP Echoes One Nation’s Position

Liberal Party MP Garth Hamilton also issued a statement expressing his concern with the bill, reiterating Hanson’s point that displays of national pride could become an offence.

He used the example: “China was wrong for starting a trade war. Australia is better than China, because they didn’t start a trade war.”

“Now all it would take is someone to feel intimidated by that statement and I could be prosecuted under Labor’s hate speech laws Section 80.2 BF: ‘It is an offence to disseminate ideas of superiority because of the national origin of the target group,’” Hamilton said.

“This is just one of a few concerns I have about this legislation.

“The test was whether they made it harder for radical Islam to spread in Australia—sadly these laws fail that test, in fact they make it easier for radical Islam by effectively criminalising secular critique of some of its practices.”

Albanese Backs Laws

Speaking to reporters outside Parliament House on Jan. 13, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Labor wanted the “broadest possible support” for the proposed laws.

“The laws will set a principle based test for conduct and speech that incites racial hatred towards another person or group,” he said.

“The terrorists at Bondi Beach had hatred in their minds, but guns in their hands. And this bill will get rid of both of those issues, will address both those issues.”

The Epoch Times contacted the office of the Attorney-General for comment.

The public has until 4 p.m. (AEST) to lodge a submission regarding the proposed law changes.