Amnesty International Australia has made a submission to the Queensland government on the Fighting Antisemitism and Keeping Guns Out of the Hands of Terrorists and Criminals Amendment Bill 2026.
The recommendations contained in this submission go towards ensuring considerations of human rights protections are at the forefront when considering this Bill’s amendments to the law. We raise issues of concern with the new provisions, and the government’s obligations under its Human Rights Act 2019, as well as under international human rights conventions.
Amnesty International Australia unequivocally condemns the antisemitic attack on Jewish Australians at Bondi Beach and stands in solidarity with the Jewish community. The attack followed years of escalating racist and violent attacks on the Jewish community and on the Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian communities in Australia.
Amnesty abhors antisemitism, Islamophobia, anti-Palestinian racism and all forms of racism. Governments have an obligation, under international human rights law, to take action to protect people from violence, vilification, and discrimination.
However, governments cannot disproportionately and unnecessarily restrict the rights to freedom of expression and assembly to achieve this objective. This Bill unfairly restricts these fundamental human rights, and targets expressions associated primarily with peaceful protest in support of the Palestinian people that does not constitute incitement to violence under international law. Serious vilification on the basis of a person’s race, religion, sexuality, sex characteristics, or gender identity, is already a criminal offence under Queensland’s Criminal Code 1899.
Amnesty believes that the Bill is ultimately unsuccessful at addressing vilification, violence, and discrimination, as it fails to address the root causes of hate.
Amnesty also has serious concerns that the Bill adds offences to the “Adult Time, Adult Crime” framework, contrary to obligations to protect the rights of children.
The Queensland Government should use this inquiry as an opportunity to fulfil its obligations under international law and address violence, vilification, and discrimination through rights respecting, preventative and systematic manner, rather than unnecessarily restricting people’s human rights.
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