Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Thursday that tougher hate speech laws will be implemented after a mass shooting at Bondi Beach killed 15 victims.
Albanese announced a list of legislative changes after a meeting of the National Security Committee, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
"Governments aren't perfect, I'm not perfect," he told reporters in Canberra.
A photograph of Matilda Britvan, 10, a victim of a shooting at Jewish holiday celebration on Sunday at Bondi Beach, lies amongst floral tributes in Sydney, Australia, December 16, 2025. /Reuters
"I have done my best to respond,” he said.
“Anyone in this position would regret not doing more, and any inadequacies which are there," he said, "but what we need to do is to move forward."
Changes include new federal offences for "aggravated hate speech offense for preachers and leaders who promote violence," and increased penalties for "hate speech promoting violence."
Others include "making hate an aggravating factor in sentencing crimes for online threats and harassment," developing a regime for listing organisations "whose leaders engage in hate speech promoting violence or racial hatred," and for "serious vilification based on race and or advocating racial supremacy."
The home affairs minister will also have new powers to cancel or reject visas, while a 12-month task force will have more oversight on the education system.
The victims were killed on Sunday when a father and son team opened fire along the beach in Sydney. One of the two accused shooters was shot dead, while the other sustained critical injuries and is getting treatment at a hospital.
On Wednesday, the leader of New South Wales where the attack took place said he would next week recall the state parliament to pass urgent reforms on gun laws.
The parents of 10-year-old Bondi Beach shooting victim Matilda had earlier criticised the government for failing to respond to a rising tide of hate crimes.
Valentyna, Matilda's mother, told Australian media on Wednesday, speaking about a string of attacks in Sydney. The family has asked the media not to use their surname.
Matilda, whose funeral was being held on Thursday, was the youngest of 15 people killed in the shooting. Her funeral follows the first of the services for the victims on Wednesday, including those for Rabbis Eli Schlanger, 41, and Yaakov Levitan, 39.
The proposed legislation comes amid a documented rise in hate speech and hate crimes across Australia, with authorities and community groups reporting spikes in both anti-Muslim and antisemitic incidents, particularly following the Bondi Beach shooting.
In the days after the attack, online threats, vandalism, and harassment targeting religious minorities intensified, including an incident where a Muslim cemetery was desecrated with pig heads.
