By Zac de Silva and Tess Ikonomou
A deal has been struck on major reforms cracking down on groups that spew hatred, despite criticism the laws will stifle legitimate political debate.
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said her party had “fixed” the government’s legislation, strengthening the bill and narrowing its scope.
The laws, which have passed the House of Representatives and will go to the Senate, are designed to curb the influence of anti-Semitic hate preachers in the wake of the Bondi Beach terror attack.
Fifteen people were killed in the massacre with an Islamic State-inspired father-and-son duo targeted Jews celebrating Hanukkah.
Ms Ley said her party had secured a number of concessions, including tighter definitions to ensure hate preachers were properly covered by the laws and stronger oversight from parliament.
The government’s original proposal was “clumsy and deeply flawed”, she said in a statement.
“As a result of Liberal Party action, the legislation has been narrowed, strengthened and properly focused on keeping Australians safe, not political point scoring,” Ms Ley said.
The bill allows the government to essentially outlaw hardline extremist groups, which will likely apply to Neo-Nazi organisation the National Socialist Network and radical Islamist collective Hizb ut-Tahrir.
It will also strengthen the home affairs minister’s ability to cancel or deny a person’s visa for expressing extremist ideology.
Senate debate on the bill is likely to run late into Tuesday evening and the House of Representatives will return early Wednesday morning to give it the final green light.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the bill wasn’t as strong as the government would have liked, but it had to be watered down to win support.
“The Australian covenant is that if people have any prejudice or hate, that’s left in the customs hall,” he told parliament.
Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin backed the crackdown on hate preachers, saying it would help stop Australians being radicalised to violence.
“We have no interest whatsoever in stifling debate and the public exchange of ideas … what we’re talking about is a process of radicalisation and incitement to violence, which culminates in massacres like this,” he told Sky News.
While the Liberals will back the proposal, junior coalition partner the Nationals are yet to declare their formal position.
Queensland Nationals senator Matt Canavan declared he would not support the bill in its current form, while MPs Llew O’Brien and Colin Boyce voted against it in the lower house.
The rest of the Nationals abstained, while the Liberals voted in support.
The bill tightens the definition of a preacher or religious leader, introducing mandatory two-year reviews of the legislation and requiring consultation with the opposition leader when listing an extremist organisation.
Barrister Greg Barns, a former president of the Australian Lawyers Alliance, said the legislation could have unintended consequences.
“When you read the bill, even to senior lawyers, it’s unintelligible,” he told reporters in Canberra.
The Greens have said they would not back the hate speech legislation due to the effect it could have on political commentary including protests.
“What we’ve now seen in the last 24 hours is a dangerous bill being made even more dangerous,” leader Larissa Waters said.