The Justice Legislation Amendment (Anti-vilification and Social Cohesion) Bill seeks to update and expand Victoria’s current anti-vilification legislation. It will repeal the current anti-vilification legislation, the Racial and Religious Tolerance Act 2001, and amend the Crimes Act 1958 and the Equal Opportunity Act 1984 to include the criminal and civil anti-vilification provisions, respectively.

This brief provides contextual background to the Bill, as well as an overview of its key components, stakeholder responses and a comparison of anti-vilification protections in other Australian jurisdictions.

The Bill follows a long period of consultation that began with the Legislative Assembly’s Legal and Social Issues Committee inquiry into anti-vilification laws in Victoria. One of the key updates will be to expand anti-vilification protections. Currently, these laws protect against discrimination based on race and religion, but the Bill includes protections for disability, gender identity and sexual orientation among others.