•
expanding the groups that are protected under existing offences for
publicly displaying prohibited symbols and giving the Nazi salute.
The Bill is currently before the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee
for inquiry and report by 12 December 2024.
(f)
Anti-doxxing measures
On 29 November 2024, the Privacy and Other Legislation Amendment Bill (the
Bill) passed Parliament. The Bill amends the Criminal Code and introduces new
criminal offences to outlaw doxxing, which is the malicious release of personal
data online.
The Bill imposes a maximum penalty of 6 years imprisonment for the malicious
use of personal data and a penalty of 7 years imprisonment where a person or
group is targeted because of an attribute such as their race, religion, nationality
or national or ethnic origin.
The Bill also amends the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and introduced a new statutory
tort of serious invasions of privacy, intended to address gaps in the privacy
protection framework. The tort complements the existing powers and
protections in relation to doxxing and has a lower threshold than offences under
criminal law.
(g)
Social Cohesion Grants
The Government has announced $25 million in new national measures to
support social cohesion across Australian communities affected by the conflict in
the Middle East. 15 These measures include initiatives to combat racism, hate
speech and the spread of misinformation, to enhance mental health and
wellbeing support, as well as targeted grants programs to support communities
and social inclusion.
2.3
Australian Human Rights Commission Initiatives
(a)
National Anti-Racism Strategy
Through funding from the Australian Government, the Commission has been
developing a National Anti-Racism Strategy to tackle racism and promote racial
equality in Australia. The Strategy includes:
•
a National Anti-Racism Framework that recommends actions by
government, civil society, businesses and the community to tackle racism
and promote racial equality in Australia
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