Religious vilification
An amendment to the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 to prohibit religious vilification came into effect on 12 November 2023. Complaints of religious vilification can be made about events that occurred on or after this date.
What is religious vilification?
Religious vilification is against the law.
It is a public act that could incite hatred towards, serious contempt for, or severe ridicule of, a person or group of persons, because of their religious belief, affiliation or activity, or because they do not have a religious belief or affiliation, or do not engage in religious activity.
Public acts include:
- communications that can be seen or heard by the public (this includes print, radio, video or online)
- signs, flags or clothing that could be seen by the public
- distributing and sharing information to the public.
What can I do if I experience religious vilification?
If you feel you have been vilified, you can contact us to make a complaint.
If you are unsure if you have experienced religious vilification or need more information, you can contact our enquiry service.
Public acts that threaten or incite violence
Any public act that threatens or incites violence towards a person or group of persons on the basis of their race, religious belief or affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, intersex status or HIV/AIDS status is a criminal offence that should be referred to the police.
Last updated:
20 Dec 2023
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