Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Firearms and Customs Laws) Bill 2026, Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Criminal and Migration Laws) Bill 2026

Ms LEY (Farrer—Leader of the Opposition) (08:05): on indulgence—In the national interest, the Liberal Party has stepped up to fix legislation that the Albanese government badly mishandled. For more than two years, the Albanese government failed to confront the rising tide— Government members interjecting— Ms LEY: Mr Speaker, we listened to the Prime Minister in silence.

I ask that you bring the government— The SPEAKER: I also ask the Leader of the Opposition to make her remarks in line with the Prime Minister's. That is how indulgence in this House has always worked. Ms LEY: For more than two years, the Albanese government failed to confront the rising tide of antisemitism and failed to keep Australians safe, and that failure was exposed by the worst terrorist attack on Australian soil.

When leadership was required, it was not provided by this Prime Minister. Instead— Honourable members interjecting— The SPEAKER: Order! We would like to do this in a respectful and dignified manner.

I ask again, respecting the House and the way indulgence works, for the Leader of the Opposition to make sure her remarks are associated with the Prime Minister's, not an address on other matters. Ms LEY: I'm addressing the legislation that has come back from the Senate to the House. The SPEAKER: No.

There's no scope under the standing orders for what you would like to do. What I am doing is allowing you to address the House and to associate your remarks with the Prime Minister's, not to give a political speech, not to give an alternative view. Otherwise, indulgence would not be granted to anyone.

It couldn't work that way. If this was a Senate resolution, of course you'd be able to make those remarks, but I'm just asking—for this subject, for this matter, for the House—that we can come together and deal with this matter in the spirit in which I think the Prime Minister's remarks were addressed to the House. Ms LEY: From the outset we said we would be constructive, and we have been.

If I may, I would like to touch on the key changes to the legislation, which the entire parliament agreed to in the vote yesterday. The critical changes are these. We made sure that aggravated offences would capture radical Islamist extremist preachers.

We strengthened the role of parliament. We examined the extraordinary powers and narrowed them to the two critical tests that we have set from the beginning: tackling radical Islamist extremism and eradicating antisemitism. That included making the prohibited hate groups listing framework more targeted, ensuring that legislation was directed at serious conduct of a criminal nature that impacts on national security but doesn't impact on free speech, closing gaps in hate crime definitions so that Commonwealth offences are properly covered, ensuring only the most serious state and territory legislation can be used to proscribe groups, and ensuring that migration powers are used decisively to remove extremists who threaten community safety.

These changes strengthen the law. They close loopholes and they restore clarity and accountability. The Liberal Party will always strongly defend freedom of thought, freedom of worship and freedom of speech, because those freedoms define who we are as a nation and they must be defended, even when the task before us is confronting hatred and extremism.

The Liberal Party will always act to keep Australians safe, defend our freedoms and put the national interest first—as we have in passing this bill. I look forward to the nation pausing tomorrow, on the day of remembrance, to reflect and to unite behind a shared determination to take the strong actions that we know we need to take as a nation to tackle radical Islamic extremism and to eradicate antisemitism.

We must unite with determination, focus and overall action.