The NSW Liberal Party will not join efforts repeal Labor’s controversial “hate speech” laws, despite voicing concerns about how they were brought in as a result of a fake anti-Semitic terror plot.
In a statement released on Tuesday evening, leader Mark Speakman said he would support a parliamentary inquiry into when Premier Chris Minns was briefed that an explosives-laden caravan found in Dural, Sydney, in January was set-up by organised crime.
But Mr Speakman said he would not back calls from the Libertarian Party and the Greens to repeal the laws, as “our Jewish community still faces unprecedented anti-Semitism, which is completely unacceptable”.
Statement earlier today on hate speech laws and a Parliamentary inquiry. pic.twitter.com/VgO4Z76wXb
— Mark Speakman (@MarkSpeakman) March 18, 2025
Sky News host @SharriMarkson, known for her perpetual victimhood, has vowed to pressure NSW Opposition Leader Mark Speakman to keep the ‘Hate Speech’ laws intact.
This comes as parties like the Greens, Libertarians, and even some Labor MPs push for repeal, arguing the laws were… pic.twitter.com/UVuneX62sv
— Australians vs. The Agenda (@ausvstheagenda) March 13, 2025
His statement came just days after pro-Israel Sky News host Sharri Markson said she had contacted Mr Speakman’s office to “get reassurance” that he wasn’t going to oppose the “hate speech” laws, saying it would be “unforgiveable” if he didn’t side with the Premier.
Mr Minns also spoke out on Tuesday to re-confirm he would not be reversing the legislation, which he rammed through parliament after declaring the caravan was “terrorism” and a “mass casualty event” despite police apparently already being aware that it was fabricated and presented no threat to the public.
The Premier then declared that the laws, which have been criticised by free speech advocates, were necessary to protect multiculturalism, echoing comments he made last year following other anti-Semitic incidents that police now believe were carried out by criminals for personal gain.
NSW Premier Chris Minns says that repealing ‘hate speech’ laws would send a toxic message to the community, and admits that we don’t have U.S.-style free speech because he wants to preserve multiculturalism. pic.twitter.com/KE9SCjjOIL
— Australians vs. The Agenda (@ausvstheagenda) March 17, 2025
“I’ve fully said from the beginning that we don’t have the same freedom of speech laws that we have in the United States,” he said.
“And the reason for that is we want to hold together a multicultural community and have people live in peace free from the kind of vilification and hatred that we do see around the world.”
His comments sparked a firestorm of criticism on X, including from Libertarian senate candidate and former Liberal MP Craig Kelly, who wrote: “So we can have ‘multi-culturalism’ or we can freedom of speech – but we can’t have both?”
Libertarian MP John Ruddick told parliament that he intends to introduce a repeal, saying if the government had not blocked an enquiry into the bill the parliament likely would have been more fully informed about the true nature of the incidents used to justify passing the new laws.
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Big week coming up in NSW Parliament re #CaravanGate.
To paraphrase a line from Watergate, ‘What did the Premier know and when did he know it?’
Here’s an excellent letter just sent to parliamentarians from Timothy Roberts, President of NSW Council for Civil Liberties.… pic.twitter.com/nNTsLqEQ2d
— John Ruddick MLC (@JohnRuddick2) March 17, 2025
The NSW Council for Civil Liberties wrote on parliamentarians on Monday calling for a legislative inquiry looking into whether Mr Minns “intentionally exploit[ed] this hoax to speed through legislation criminalising protest and speech”.
“It seems overwhelmingly likely that the Premier had been briefed that the plot was a suspected hoax and that he therefore misled the public, when he made these comments,” NSWCCL President Timothy Roberts wrote.
The new laws are also facing a supreme court legal challenge from the Palestine Action Group, who will argue that the section of the legislation giving police sweeping powers to restrict protests near places of worship “impermissibly burdens the implied constitutional freedom of communication on government or political matters”, The Guardian reported.
Spokesman Josh Lees said the laws were rushed through “based on lies and deception” and called them “unconstitutional” and “undemocratic”.
Header image: Left, Mark Speakman. Right, Chris Minns (Facebook).
