The Minister for Multicultural Affairs Michael Pettersson MLA brought forward a motion calling on the Legislative Assembly to condemn the anti-immigrant, racist and xenophobic messaging advanced at March for Australia rallies, and for the ACT Government to introduce legislation to strengthen hate crime and vilification laws in 2026.
The motion acknowledged the importance of multiculturalism, that the vast majority of Canberrans reject extremist ideologies, and that the right to peaceful protest should be protected. It also acknowledged the 26 January 2026 Invasion Day rally terror attack in Perth.
The Canberra Liberals moved amendments that replaced the commitment to hate crime and vilification law reforms with a commitment to review the Discrimination Act 1991 to determine whether it remains fit-for-purpose. They also removed references to the March for Australia rallies and the Invasion Day rally attack.
Minister Pettersson then moved to amend the Canberra Liberals’ amendment, seeking to reinsert sections of his original motion, including condemning the March for Australia rallies and the Invasion Day rally attack. A number of subsequent amendments were moved by the Canberra Liberals and ACT Greens, resulting in the condemnation of both antisemitism and islamophobia. All of these amendments were ultimately supported without opposition.
The ACT Greens also moved an amendment to replace ‘Invasion Day’ with ‘Survival Day’, but Thomas spoke against this amendment after contacting the event organisers who confirmed it was an ‘Invasion Day’ rally. The ACT Greens then withdrew the amendment.
Thomas spoke in support of the original motion, and also in support of elements of the Canberra Liberals’ motion which acknowledged the need to balance the right to peacefully protest with the need for appropriate protections to ensure freedom of expression is not abused. Thomas highlighted the importance of all politicians coming together to stand against hatred in order to set a positive community example, and expressed his disappointment with the incohesive approach to this motion and the many amendments that had been circulated.
The motion, as amended, was passed unanimously by the ACT Legislative Assembly.
The motion as passed is below.
That this Assembly:
(1) notes:
(a) that this Assembly has previously noted and Members have and continue to unanimously condemn the rise in racism and violence being played out during public demonstrations, and the increase in racially and religiously motivated violence against individuals, communities, community organisations and community facilities;
(b) that there is broad consensus that there needs to be an appropriate balance between the right to express an opinion, including the right to peacefully protest, and the importance of ensuring there are appropriate protections in place to ensure that freedom of expression is not abused;
(c) that in the ACT, we are fortunate to have the Discrimination Act 1991, which at sections 65-67 provide civil and criminal penalties for racial vilification;
(d) that in 2025, NSW passed the Crimes Amendment (Inciting Racial Hatred) Act; and
(e) the ACT Government has committed to review hate crime and vilification laws;
(f) on 26 January 2026, anti-immigration rallies were held in Canberra and across Australia;
(g) the rallies were used to promote messages of racism, including antisemitism and Islamophobia;
(h) following alleged antisemitic conduct at the “March for Australia” rally in Sydney, a man has been charged with a criminal offence under new hate speech enacted by the Crimes Amendment (Inciting Racial Hatred) Act 2025 (NSW); and
(i) a bomb was thrown into a peaceful “Invasion Day” rally in Perth on 26 January 2026 in what authorities have declared to be a terrorist attack;
(2) acknowledges:
(a) the importance of multiculturalism, and the significant benefits that Canberra’s culture and linguistic diversity bring to our community;
(b) that the vast majority of Canberrans reject extremist ideologies and value the contributions that our multiculturalism brings to our community; and
(c) that the work to prevent to prevent further harm coming to our community, involves collaboration across jurisdictions and political differences, to demonstrate clear expectations and reflect Australian values;
(3) calls on the ACT Government to:
(a) review the Discrimination Act 1991 as it relates to hate crime to determine:
(i) whether it remains fit for purpose;
(ii) whether there are any lessons learned from more recent legislative processes such as the NSW Crimes Amendment (Inciting Racial Hatred) Act, that can be adapted to improve the Act legislation; and
(b) ensure that all Members of this Assembly are consulted at the drafting stage of any potential legislative reform process, to ensure that by our behaviour, we model the Australian values of respectful disagreement that we are seeking to encourage in the broader community; and
(c) aspire to achieve unanimous support for any legislative change, that appropriately balances the right of free speech with appropriate protection from incitement and racial vilification; and
(4) calls on all Members to condemn the anti-immigrant, racist and xenophobic messaging advanced at anti-immigration rallies, including the “March for Australia” rally held on 26 January 2026, and to condemn antisemitism and Islamophobia.”