(SBS) Labor’s plan to ban the flag of the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) includes “highly offensive” language and risks unintentionally leading to false police reports, says a Muslim advocacy group it consulted.
But the Australian Muslim Advocacy Network (AMAN) has welcomed the “tone and intention” behind Labor’s bill and is “confident” the wording can be “better drafted” before it becomes law.
Introducing the Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment (Prohibited Hate Symbols and Other Measures) Bill to parliament on Wednesday, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus included the IS flag in a ban on Nazi symbols in public and online.
But the bill also prohibits symbols “likely to be confused” with the flag, which includes writing commonly used by Muslims, sparking concerns of erroneous reporting by members of the public.
