Parliamentary report recommends passing changes to race-hate laws

The Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs has recommended passing the government's controversial changes to the Racial Discrimination Act, despite dissenting reports from Labor and the Greens. The committee found reforms to the act were overdue, stating that 'strengthening the protections against hateful speech based on race, colour or national or ethnic origin on one hand, and enhancing the rights of freedom of speech,' the report said. Currently, Section 18 makes it unlawful to offend, insult and humiliate someone or a group of people on the basis of their race. The government is proposing to remove "offend", insult, and "humiliate" and replace them with "harass" while retaining the word "intimidate." But Labor members of the Committee have criticised the inquiry after no Indigenous Australians or representative bodies were invited to appear before the Committee, despite the availability of the NSW/ACT Aboriginal Legal Service who sought to be heard during the hearing.

AAP-- Source: AAP