That brings me to this bill, which is unique and which is unprecedented. This bill is a first for our nation, and I welcome and commend the New South Wales, Queensland and Tasmanian governments for also committing to adopting similar regulatory reform. This bill is incredibly important in our collective quest to eradicate the scourge of antisemitism from society. It is incredibly important when we think about the unfortunate spate of incidents where the public display of Nazi symbols was used by various individuals and groups to intimidate and to convey a message of hate and intolerance.

It is incredibly important when we think of January 2020, when a Nazi flag was flown on private property in Beulah in the Grampians in north-west Victoria, where a group of Neo-Nazis were publicly chanting racist slogans and displaying hateful insignia, or the graffitied Hakenkreuz at the Gary Smorgon Oval in Albert Park, or more recently the defacing of corflutes in the federal electorates of Macnamara and Kooyong, or the stickers that were plastered throughout Caulfield, including on the community centre, the day after this bill was introduced. These are reminders of why the bill that we are debating is so important and necessary.

This is a great day, and we have so many members from both sides of the chamber lined up to speak on this bill. We are going to hear some really personal stories and reflections throughout the day. I look forward to this legislation passing through both houses without contention, because when it comes to racism and vilification in Victoria, we should not hesitate to unite in this Parliament to crush it, and I am glad that we will.

I would like to recognise the extensive work of the Legal and Social Issues Committee, which led the inquiry into the anti-vilification protections in Victoria, and I thank the chair, the member for St Albans, and all of the members of that committee for their work. I would also like to give special thanks to the religious, legal and community groups which were consulted in the development of this bill and helped to shape it. This extends to the core consultative group, which comprised faith leaders from the Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu and Jain communities, which are particularly impacted by the bill—because it is important to distinguish between the more recent association of the swastika with Nazism and indeed the misappropriation of the swastika by that hateful regime and the legitimate cultural and religious use of the swastika, which has long been a symbol of good luck and prosperity for Hindu, Buddhist and Jain communities. In fact the Nazi hate symbol that is often referred to as the Nazi swastika is correctly called the Hakenkreuz, and we want to ensure that this legislation does not confuse the two.

Our legislation recognises the long history and the significance of the swastika to the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain communities to ensure that their religious and cultural freedoms remain protected. And before the new law comes into effect, based on the consultation that has been undertaken by the Attorney-General, we will run a community education campaign to raise awareness of the origins of the swastika, its importance to the Buddhist, Hindu and Jain communities and its distinction from the Nazi hate symbol. We have heard that the Liberal and National parties do not want that to occur before the bill is implemented, but I will leave it for them to explain to those communities why they do not want that to happen, even though those communities have asked that that happen first.

To be penalised under this new law, the Hakenkreuz must be intentionally displayed in public with the knowledge that it represents Nazi ideology. In addition to the legitimate cultural and religious use of the swastika, Nazi hate symbols may continue to be used for educational, scientific, artistic or academic purposes. This legislation is designed to prohibit the use of Nazi hate symbols whenever their use seeks to divide us, to incite vilification and to breed hate. It is designed to stamp out malicious acts of antisemitism, which cause an immeasurable amount of harm to our society and particularly to our Jewish community.

For many the horrors of the Holocaust may seem a long time ago now—only they were not. Most adult Victorians have a parent or grandparent that lived during the times of World War II. This atrocity took place in our modern history, and the widespread pain and destruction which resulted from the greatest act of antisemitism should not be underestimated. It should not be forgotten. We should absolutely not ignore it when we see sprouts of it beginning to grow again. Tragically, we need not look further than the weekly newspaper to know that the attitudes and the behaviours that give rise to antisemitism are still present. We have got an opportunity now to stamp out hate and to give it no room to grow.

I support the bill for a number of reasons. I support the bill because it will recognise the religious and cultural use of the swastika. That is, the offence will ensure that the swastika can continue to be used for religious and cultural purposes, such as being displayed at temples, to acknowledge the swastika’s important contribution for Buddhist, Hindu and Jain communities.

I support the bill as it targets persons that intentionally display a Nazi hate symbol in public who know that the symbol is associated with Nazi ideology. I support the bill as police powers will support the enforcement of the offence and enable immediate steps to be taken to address the harm caused by its public display. But most importantly I support the bill as it will help reduce racism and vilification by making unlawful the public display of this insidious symbol of hate in our neighbourhoods and across the state.

This bill sends a really clear message that Victoria does not want and will not tolerate antisemitism—not now and not ever. The introduction of this bill could not come at a more poignant time, with the Community Security Group reporting 490 antisemitic events in Australia during 2021, a 38 per cent increase over 2020 and the highest on record. This is an important bill, and this is a necessary bill. I thank the Attorney-General for her work in bringing this bill forward, and I commend the bill to the house.