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February 6, 2025
The Albanese government has dramatically reversed its stance and agreed to impose mandatory minimum sentences for terrorism offences.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke introduced amendments to the Hate Crimes Bill late on Wednesday night to enforce minimum sentences.
These include six years in jail for terror offences, three years for financing terrorism and one for displaying a hate symbols.
The developments come after the opposition announced its own policy of minimum six year sentences for terror offences before the government.
Sky News Political Editor Andrew Clennell revealed the government had changed its position ahead of the announcement.
The decision marks a significant departure from the government's previous position as Labor has typically opposed mandatory sentences as it removes judge’s discretion.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has denied he had backflipped on the government’s earlier position and maintained he wanted “people to be held to account”.
“We've introduced the legislation about hate crimes and we want people to be held to account,” he told Sky News on Thursday.
“We've been working through these issues. We want to make sure that there's the strongest possible laws in place. But we're doing that today.”
The government’s sudden policy shift comes after weeks of contentious debate and criticism from Opposition Leader Peter Dutton who advocated for the measure.
Mr Dutton and shadow home affairs minister James Paterson announced the opposition’s mandatory minimum sentences policy earlier in January.
Following the government’s announcement, Mr Paterson claimed the opposition had forced the Prime Minister’s hand.
“It was only two days ago that senior Albanese government ministers were publicly dismissing the idea of the need for mandatory minimum sentences,” Mr Paterson told Sky News on Wednesday.
“In fact, on Tuesday in the Senate, they voted against a motion that I moved to call for the introduction of mandatory minimum sentences.
“This is another example of Peter Dutton leading, of seeing the problems in our country, identifying the solutions, and pressuring the Albanese government.”
The Albanese government has been under heavy pressure for not acting strongly enough in response to the wave of antisemitic attacks around Australia.
The country saw a staggering 316 percent rise in antisemitism last year, with over 2,000 reported incidents of assault, harassment, and vandalism between 2023 and 2024.
