Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment (Prohibited Hate Symbols and Other Measures) 2023

✦ Plain-English Summary

# Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment (Prohibited Hate Symbols and Other Measures) 2023

## What it does
This law makes it illegal to display certain hate symbols in Australia, cracks down on sharing violent extremist content online, and strengthens rules around terrorist organisations. It updates counter-terrorism laws to tackle modern threats like online radicalisation and hate movements.

## Why it matters
Hate symbols are used to intimidate and radicalise people, so banning them removes a recruitment tool for extremist groups. The online provisions target the spread of violent propaganda that can inspire real-world attacks, which is harder to police than traditional methods.

## Key details

- **Prohibited symbols**: The law bans specific hate symbols (the bill references them but doesn't list them in this excerpt — that's in the detailed regulations). Displaying them publicly becomes a criminal offence.

- **Online content**: It's now illegal to use internet services to share violent extremist material, targeting livestreams, videos, and posts that promote terrorism or violence.

- **Advocating terrorism**: The law tightens rules against publicly supporting terrorist acts or organisations, even if you're not directly involved.

- **Timing**: Most rules kick in 28 days after the law passed, giving platforms and individuals time to comply.

Official Description

Amends the: Crimes Act 1914 and Criminal Code Act 1995 to: establish criminal offences for the public display of prohibited Nazi and Islamic State symbols and the trading of goods that bear a prohibited Nazi or Islamic State symbol; establish criminal offences for using a carriage service for violent extremist material and possessing or controlling violent extremist material obtained or accessed using a carriage service; Criminal Code Act 1995 to: expand the offence of advocating terrorism to include instructing on the doing of a terrorist act and praising the doing of a terrorist act in specified circumstances; and increase the maximum penalty for the offence of advocating terrorism from 5 to 7 years imprisonment; and Criminal Code Act 1995 and Legislation (Exemptions and Other Matters) Regulation 2015 to remove the sunsetting requirement for instruments which list terrorist organisations and bolster safeguards.

Committee Referrals

Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security; Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights; Senate Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills

Full bill PDF →APH page →

Audit History

Introduced

14 June 2023

Last updated on APH

10 Apr 2026

Outcome date

11 Dec 2023

Last checked by Crossbench

yesterday

Full text indexed

yesterday

🗳️

No formal division recorded

This bill passed by voice vote — parliament agreed without calling a formal count. A division is only recorded when a member explicitly requests one.

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