Coalition accused of ‘internal chaos’ as it backs away from plans for alternative hate speech bill

Top religious leaders including the Prime Minister’s closest spiritual advisor have urged Anthony Albanese to delay his contentious hate speech laws, warning the Government’s draft legislation could have unintended consequences for people of faith.

Their intervention comes just days before Labor’s omnibus bill, drawn up in response to the Bondi massacre, is set to be introduced to parliament and as the Government claims Opposition Leader Sussan Ley’s own position is “unsalvageable”.

In an open letter to the Prime Minister, the Home Affairs Minister and the Attorney General, various church representatives have heavily criticised the bill’s definition of hate speech, arguing there aren’t adequate protections for “lawful religious teaching”.

“It would be inconsistent with the Prime Minister’s pre-election promise to faith leaders that legal protections for people of faith will not go backwards under Labor as well as his commitment to progress religious protections in a bipartisan manner with the Coalition,” the letter read.

“We are also concerned by the risks created by the different thresholds of criminality in the Bill, often based on different and conflicting uses of terms like hate and hatred. ‘Hate’ is an imprecise term with a range of meanings in different contexts and its presence is perceived differently by different people.”

Among the signatories is the Catholic Archbishop of Sydney Anthony Fisher, a close confidante of Mr Albanese, as well as Anglican Bishop Michael Stead and Australian National Imams Council president Shadi Alsuleiman.

Labor insiders say the Prime Minister has in recent times privately reconnected with his Catholic faith, regularly attending Sunday mass in Canberra and often takes policy soundings from Archbishop Fisher.

The various faith leaders, which include representatives from the Buddhist and Sikh communities, have urged Labor to rule out a deal with the Greens, after the minor party indicated it could negotiate if protections were included for sexuality and gender.

On Friday the Prime Minister claimed the federal Opposition was yet to produce any amendments to the Government’s contentious hate speech legislation, claiming “internal chaos” inside the Coalition was making it “very hard” to negotiate.

Speaking in Brisbane, the Prime Minister declined to say whether the government would need to allow extra time to get its legislation passed but accused the opposition of continuing negativity after initially demanding Parliament be immediately recalled.

“This is like trying to grab smoke, trying to get an arrangement with the Coalition. How do you do it? They sat back last year and didn’t engage at all on environmental laws,” Mr Albanese told reporters.

“I’d say to the Coalition, if you can let me know now what they’re prepared to vote for, I’ll respond to any question that people have, because at the moment, I’m not sure what it is, and I don’t think they know either.”

“The parties of government should be supporting this across the board, and we’ve said that if you have ideas for changes, please put them forward now. The Coalition yet to put forward a single proposed change.”

The fate of Labor’s draft laws on hate speech and firearm controls in response to the Bondi massacre hang in the balance after the Coalition described the omnibus bill as “unsalvageable”, and the Greens said they could not support it in its current form.

On Thursday Ms Ley caused confusion in Coalition ranks after she appeared to suggest the Opposition would introduce its own alternative hate speech laws targeting anti-Semitism, when Parliament returns briefly next week.

The idea has now been ruled out, but Foreign Minister Penny Wong still seized on the comments from Ms Ley, questioning whether her own leadership of the Liberal party was sustainable.

“I would say this about Sussan Ley: She says the legislation is unsalvageable. I think what is becoming increasingly clear is that it is Ms Ley’s leadership which is unsalvageable,” Senator Wong told reporters in Adelaide.

Speaking in Port Lincoln, the Opposition leader insisted her party was “united behind the statements that we have made yesterday, today, and with respect to the vital tests that we know this legislation needs”.

“If Penny Wong was as passionate about eradicating ant-Semitism and dealing with radical Islamic extremism as she seems to be about me, then maybe the country would be in a better place,” Ms Ley told reporters.

In an interview with Sky News on Thursday night, Nationals leader David Littleproud says he was “surprised” to hear Ms Ley’s suggestion of an alternative anti-Semitism package.

“From the conversations I’ve had in the leadership between the National and Liberal Party, there will be no alternate bill, a hate speech bill,” he said.