Religious Vilification Laws

The Hon. J.S. LEE (Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:49): I seek leave to make an explanation before asking a question of the Attorney-General about anti-discrimination law.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.S. LEE: In an article from The Advertiser on 27 August 2024 it was shockingly reported that a dead kangaroo was dumped in front of a mosque in Park Holme. Footage obtained by 7NEWS shows a hooded individual crossing Marion Road with a dead kangaroo inside a wheelbarrow. The individual then dumps the kangaroo by a tree in front of the Marion Mosque and leaves. In a Facebook post the Islamic Society of South Australia said this:

…appears to be a form of symbolic aggression or harassment, targeting the Muslim community with the intent to provoke fear, anger or unease.

The use of a dead animal and the choice of a place of worship is a deeply disrespectful and an Islamophobic motive.

On 16 November 2023, I asked the Attorney-General in this chamber what actions were being taken to combat the increase in religious vilification. The Attorney-General stated that 'we are continuing to review that work'. My questions to the Attorney-General are:

1. Can the Attorney-General provide an update on what the Labor government has done to strengthen anti-discrimination laws against religious vilification?

2. Does the Attorney-General believe that the government should have acted earlier to strengthen our laws on religious vilification to prevent this horrendous action, such as dumping dead kangaroos in front of places of worship?

3. What message is the Attorney-General sending to our Muslim and multicultural communities by not taking action to strengthen our religious vilification laws?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (14:52): I thank the honourable member for her question. The factual scenario the honourable member has laid out may not be captured by any form of changes to our Equal Opportunity Act. There may be laws that do capture the factual scenario the honourable member has set out in terms of vilification, harassment or threats to safety, but certainly in terms of discrimination, any form of discrimination based on a characteristic of a person is abhorrent. We generally pride ourselves as a country that has successfully become a very multicultural society with a great deal of tolerance and inclusion.

I certainly have had representations about religious discrimination from a range of stakeholders. It is something we are prepared to consider and will continue to consider. But in terms of things that are acts of violence there are laws that are already in place.