Updated ,first published
The Albanese government has listed radical Islamist organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir as a prohibited hate group, the first use of the new powers since Labor enacted tougher hate crime laws in response to the December 14 Bondi massacre.
The organisation’s listing late on Thursday means it is now a criminal offence to be a member of, recruit for, provide training or funds to, or materially support the organisation.
“For a long time, Hizb ut-Tahrir has been able to spread hate and create a pathway for others to engage in violence,” Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said of the change.
“The Australian government’s new hate group listing framework has been designed to stop organisations like Hizb ut-Tahrir, from spreading hate and sowing the seeds of division in the community, that risks not only our social cohesion but the safety of Australians.”
The controversial fringe organisation has been regarded warily by many within the Muslim and broader community for its teachings, and was listed as a terrorist organisation in the United Kingdom in January 2024. The group has been banned in Germany, India, Indonesia and a number of other jurisdictions. Its most extreme Australian supporters have been exposed praising the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel as a step towards its caliphate goal.
An investigation by this masthead and 60 Minutes published in June 2024 found Hizb ut-Tahrir had infiltrated the mainstream pro-Palestinian movement, using front groups to spread radical ideology and holding events at a Sydney University encampment.
The government was empowered to designate prohibited groups following the passage of a raft of hate speech reforms in January designed to tackle antisemitism after the Bondi attack. These reforms also tightened gun laws in the country.
Speaking to media on Friday morning, Burke said he anticipated a legal challenge to the move, but saying the government was “very confident of our legal position”.
The move was welcomed by the opposition who said the organisation had “given inspiration to people that seek to destroy our way of life”.
“Hizb ut-Tahrir have advocated some of the most appalling and disgusting approaches to how society should work, and have done this in our suburbs with impunity. They should have been shut down a long time ago,” opposition home affairs spokesman Jonno Duniam said in a statement.
“There has been far too much inaction under this government around drivers of antisemitism and Islamist extremism in this country, especially since the atrocities of October 7. This includes inaction against this insidious hate group.”
The Zionist Federation of Australia also welcomed the group’s listing. Federation president Jeremy Leibler said: “Hizb ut-Tahrir tries to hide behind the language of politics, but its ideology is hostile to democracy, pluralism and the basic freedoms Australians take for granted.”
At the announcement of the new legislation, Labor stated its direct intention to ban Hizb ut-Tahrir and the National Socialist Network. The latter quickly disbanded to escape the consequences of the reform.
Nick Newling is a federal politics reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via X or email.From our partners
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