An Australian Senate committee has recommended a federal ban on Nazi symbols, the Australian Jewish News reported.
The panel called on the Australian government to immediately introduce a bill banning Nazi symbols “as a matter of urgency.”
However, the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee rejected a bill put forward by the coalition government in Mach, describing how it was concerned by “a number of elements” in it but adding that it “wholeheartedly” supported the intent of the legislation.
“Evidence received by the committee raised a number of questions and concerns related to the scope and enforceability of the bill, particularly with regard to the bill’s lack of definition around what would constitute a Nazi symbol,” the committee said in a statement at the time.
On Friday, opposition Leader Peter Dutton of the Liberal Party called on the government to implement the committee’s recommendation.
“The government has the full resources of the attorney general’s department, they have scores of lawyers, they can come up with a bill today,” he said, according to the news outlet. “Frankly, they could draft a bill in 24 hours. They haven’t done and I would encourage them to do it.”
Earlier in the month, the committee held a parliamentary inquiry into banning Nazi symbols. They heard from various Jewish community and other minority groups who criticized the government for being decades behind the curve on banning the hate symbols.
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)