SenateDivision 11 · 20 Jan 2026

Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Criminal and Migration Laws) Bill 2026 - Second Reading - Agree with bill's main idea

Passed39 aye · 18 no

What this vote was about

The majority voted in favour of a motion to read the bill for a second time. In other words, they voted to agree with its main idea. This means they can now discuss it in more detail.

Rebellion

The Coalition was split on this vote, with the Liberal Party (with one exception) voting "yes" and the National Party voting "no". The one Liberal Party exception was SA Senator Alex Antic (Liberal), who crossed the floor to vote "no" against the rest of the Liberal Party.

What is the bill's main idea?

According to the bills digest, which is a document prepared by the parliamentary library:

On 12 January 2026, the Prime Minister announced that the Parliament would be recalled to consider the Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism Bill 2026. While the Bill has yet to have been tabled in Parliament an Exposure Draft of the Bill was released on 13 January 2026. This Bills Digest has been prepared in relation to the Exposure Draft of the Bill (the Bill).

The Bill aims to combat antisemitism, hate and extremism ... laws in Australia and includes a number of significant amendments, such as:

introducing a range of new offences including an aggravated offence for religious, spiritual or other leaders who advocate or threaten violence; and a racial vilification offence that makes it a crime to promote or incite racial, national or ethnic hatred or disseminate ideas of superiority based on such factors

newly defining ‘hate crime’ in Commonwealth law as certain crimes targeting persons based on race or national or ethnic origin

providing a new framework to allow organisations to be listed in regulations as ‘prohibited hate groups’, and introducing a range of offences connected to hate groups

amending the reasonable person test for offences involving Nazi or prohibited symbols by requiring courts to consider their impact on a reasonable person from the targeted group

requiring courts to consider, when sentencing a person, whether a federal offence was motivated by racial, national, or ethnic hatred

amending customs regulations to prohibit the import and export of violent extremist material and prohibited hate symbols, and strengthening importation controls on firearms

enabling the Minister for Home Affairs to refuse to grant, or to cancel, a visa on the basis of hate motivated conduct and offences relating to the spread of hatred and extremism ...

The Bill has been referred to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security which has commenced an urgent review into the Bill. Submissions to the Committee have been published on the Committee’s website.

Note that the bill originally also included firearm-related provisions, which are now included in a separate bill.

Context written by They Vote For You volunteers (ODbL), reproduced unchanged.

Second reading: The second reading vote decides whether the chamber agrees with the bill in principle. A second reading amendment attaches commentary or conditions to that agreement without changing the bill's text.

Related bills

Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Criminal and Migration Laws) Bill 2026

By party

Party	Aye	No
Australian Labor Party	27	2
Liberal–National Coalition	11	1
Australian Greens	1	10
Pauline Hanson's One Nation	0	3
United Australia Party	0	1
Independent	0	1

Every vote

Other divisions this sitting day

What the Senate divided on around this vote, in order.

20 Jan 2026Bills — Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Firearms and Customs Laws) Bill 2026; Limitation of DebateSenate 28–34
20 Jan 2026Bills — Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Firearms and Customs Laws) Bill 2026; Limitation of DebateSenate 29–33
20 Jan 2026Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Firearms and Customs Laws) Bill 2026 - Limitation of Debate - Keep the parts unchangedSenate 38–26
20 Jan 2026Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Firearms and Customs Laws) Bill 2026 - Limitation of Debate - Nationals amendmentsSenate 28–36
20 Jan 2026Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Firearms and Customs Laws) Bill 2026 - Limitation of Debate - Review of the ActSenate 29–33
20 Jan 2026Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Firearms and Customs Laws) Bill 2026 - Limitation of Debate - Constitutional Affairs Legislation CommitteeSenate 29–33
20 Jan 2026Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Firearms and Customs Laws) Bill 2026 - Limitation of Debate - Pass the billSenate 38–26
20 Jan 2026Bills — Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Criminal and Migration Laws) Bill 2026; Limitation of DebateSenate 16–43
20 Jan 2026Bills — Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Criminal and Migration Laws) Bill 2026; Limitation of DebateSenate 6–52
20 Jan 2026Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Criminal and Migration Laws) Bill 2026 - Limitation of Debate - Refer to CommitteeSenate 12–49
20 Jan 2026Bills — Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Criminal and Migration Laws) Bill 2026; Limitation of DebateSenate 26–36
20 Jan 2026Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Criminal and Migration Laws) Bill 2026 - Limitation of Debate - Additional safeguards for prohibited hate group decisionsSenate 9–49
20 Jan 2026Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Criminal and Migration Laws) Bill 2026 - Limitation of Debate - Prohibited hate groups, nature of harmSenate 21–42
20 Jan 2026Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Criminal and Migration Laws) Bill 2026 - Limitation of Debate - Repealing mandatory minimum sentences for hate crime offencesSenate 14–46
20 Jan 2026Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Criminal and Migration Laws) Bill 2026 - Limitation of Debate - Review and lawful political expressionSenate 17–42
20 Jan 2026Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Criminal and Migration Laws) Bill 2026 - Limitation of Debate - Expand protections to other groups (religion, LGBTQIA+ and disability)Senate 13–50
20 Jan 2026Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Criminal and Migration Laws) Bill 2026 - Limitation of Debate - Character concerns and right to refuse visasSenate 44–13
20 Jan 2026Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Criminal and Migration Laws) Bill 2026 - Limitation of Debate - Parliamentary approvalSenate 12–46
20 Jan 2026Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Criminal and Migration Laws) Bill 2026 - Limitation of Debate - Cessation clauseSenate 22–36
20 Jan 2026Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Criminal and Migration Laws) Bill 2026 - Limitation of Debate - Protected political speech and purpose and application of ActSenate 12–43
20 Jan 2026Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Criminal and Migration Laws) Bill 2026 - Limitation of Debate - Pass the billSenate 38–22