The Australian state of New South Wales has begun the process of banning the swastika.
According to the Australian Jewish News, a parliamentary committee has recommended that a bill to outlaw the Nazi symbol proceed with amendments for debate.
The Standing Committee on Social Issues issued a report on Tuesday in support of the Crimes Amendment (Display of Nazi Symbols) Bill.
The proposed regulation would create a maximum penalty of $5,500 or a six month prison term for publicly displaying a Nazi symbol. There would be exemptions for the Hindu swastika and for using the Nazi swastika for educational uses.
During its inquiry, the committee heard submissions from the Jewish Board of Deputies, other Jewish groups, the Hindu Council of Australia and community organizations.
“The committee supports the objectives of the bill to protect individuals and groups in our community who are hurt, offended or intimidated by the public display of Nazi symbols, as well as help protect the community against the rise of right-wing extremism,” chair Don Harwin said.
But he noted that there were practical issues with enforcing the law, in terms of exemptions and how it would be applied to social media.
“For these reasons, the committee agreed that before the Legislative Council proceeds to debate the bill, the committee comments and stakeholders’ views expressed in the report should be addressed,” he said.
The Australian/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) praised the committee for its “thoughtful consideration” of the legislation.
“Displaying or disseminating symbols that were used by the Nazis is a red line in public discourse,” Colin Rubenstein, AIJAC’s executive director, said in a statement.
“The Standing Committee on Social Issues, in its welcome bipartisan recommendation to continue consideration on the ban of the public display of Nazi symbols in NSW, has given this amendment significant thought and its report reflects the challenges raised by AIJAC in our submission and testimony to the committee,” Rubenstein added. “AIJAC supports the committee’s recommendation that careful consideration needs to be given to two aspects of the amendment: Namely how exemptions are applied and the implications of this proposed law on social media.”
He called the committee’s work “an important discussion on this sensitive matter.”
The amended legislation is also being supported by the Hindu Council of Australia.