The Commission welcomes the opportunity to provide the Joint Committee on Justice with its submission on the General Scheme of the Criminal Justice (Hate Crime) Bill which it hopes will assist the Committee in its pre-legislative scrutiny of the Bill.
The Commission has previously raised a number of human rights and equality issues arising in connection with the legislative and policy responses to incitement to hatred and hate crime; including in a submission to the Department of Justice’s review of the Prohibition of the Incitement to Hatred Act.
This submission focuses on the following matters:
- Balancing the prohibition on discrimination and incitement to hatred with the right to freedom of expression;
- Addressing hate-motivated offences; and
- Policy measures to respond to hate crime and incitement to hatred.
PDF Version: Submission on the General Scheme of the Criminal Justice (Hate Crime) Bill
Accessible Word Version: Submission on the General Scheme of the Criminal Justice (Hate Crime) Bill