ABC News Daily Was the doomed hate speech law really that bad?
Jan 18, 2026
In this engaging discussion, Professor Kath Gelber, a leading expert in hate speech regulation and Deputy Executive Dean at the University of Queensland, delves into the complexities surrounding the recently criticized hate speech laws. She explores the tough balance between free speech and harmful rhetoric, critiques links between protests and the Bondi attack, and highlights issues with vague definitions in the federal proposal. Gelber advocates for nuanced discourse and warns against overreach in restricting speech while emphasizing the need for ethical debate standards.
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Balancing Speech Freedom And Harm
- Regulating hate speech requires balancing freedom of expression with preventing genuine harm.
- Kath Gelber argues law must draw a clear line at speech that causes real danger while protecting robust debate.
Protect Peaceful Protest Rights
- Avoid laws that authorise banning peaceful civil protests outright.
- Kath Gelber advises against anti-protest rules that don't distinguish harmless rallies from violent events.
Context Matters For Slogans
- Banning slogans risks stripping context from complex political language.
- Kath Gelber warns that treating some phrases as incontrovertibly harmful ignores varied meanings in protests.