Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More
Parliament

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | Video | Questions Of the Day | Search

 

Justice Minister confirms ACT’s fears on hate speech

“The Justice Minister’s admission this morning that he wants to follow the United Kingdom and strengthen our hate speech laws confirms ACT’s fears about the Government’s review of the law”, ACT Leader David Seymour says.

“Andrew Little suggested in a Stuff op-ed today that he wants to add new ‘protected categories’ to the Human Rights Act, strengthen its enforcement, and follow the UK’s lead on hate speech laws.

“All of this confirms what ACT has been saying since March: the Government wants criminalise opinions it deems offensive.

“Little’s admission that our hate speech law is seldom used shows he has two options: give it teeth or get rid of it.

“No person has been prosecuted under the ‘racial disharmony’ provisions of the Human Rights Act since 1979. Section 61 is ineffectual as it is, so the Government wants to strengthen it.

“In other words, we would end up with a true hate speech law. If the Government is half serious about doing what it has foreshadowed, we would find ourselves in a similar position to the UK. In that country, people are being detained for tweeting unpopular opinions.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

“ACT believes a strengthened Human Rights Act would be dangerous, and we should therefore get rid of it completely.

“ACT’s Freedom to Speak Bill would repeal parts of the Human Rights Act and the Summary Offences Act which make it unlawful to make ‘insulting’ or ‘offensive’ statements. It would also specify that the Harmful Digital Communications Act applies only to victims under the age of 18. Online bullying of children is a real problem, but we should not allow the law to be used by adults to silence people they disagree with, as we have seen recently.

“Under the Freedom to Speak Bill, it would remain an offence to threaten or incite violence.

“Freedom of speech is a vital value. Being able to express a view of the world is uniquely human. Freely exchanging opinions gets us closer to the truth and allows us to make social progress. No government should be allowed to restrict a freedom of such fundamental importance.”

ends

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.