Australia to ban Nazi symbols - but not the swastika or salute

The Australian federal government has announced it will introduce legislation to ban Nazi symbols and the sale of goods-for-profit featuring Nazi symbols.

The Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment (Prohibited Hate Symbols and Other Measures) Bill will be introduced into Parliament next week, outlining a ban on symbols related to Nazis or the SS, including on flags, armbands, T-shirts in public and online, with a maximum penalty of up to 12 months' imprisonment.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said tackling far-right extremism was a priority for the federal government and the measures will work alongside the moves some of the states have made to ban Nazi symbols in their jurisdictions.

"This bill is going to complement the work of the states and ensure that there are no loopholes and we will have all governments working together to ban the display and trade of these evil symbols," he said.

The ban will not include the swastika, due to the religious significance of the symbol in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, or the Nazi salute.

"The Nazi salute is an offensive gesture that has no place in Australian society, but we think that the burning of these gestures is a matter for state and territory laws," Dreyfus said.

"We need to make a start. This may not be the end of what we do to criminalise hate speech, this kind of conduct - we need to make it absolutely clear that there's no place in Australia for Nazi symbols that glorify the horrors of the Holocaust."

Experts call for more to be done to combat rise of far-right

The move to ban Nazi symbols has been welcomed by those researching the rise of far-right extremism in Australia.

Deakin University researcher Dr Josh Roose said Nazi symbolism plays a role in recruitment.

"It's used as a form not only of intimidation and threatening communities within our wider national community, but it's also used as a recruitment mechanism that's used to attempt to entice young men in particular, to join their movements."

Roose said the government has other levers at its disposal to tackle the rise of far-right extremism, particularly targeting the disadvantaged and disenfranchised.

"They are treating the symptom in terms of addressing the rise of the far-right movements that have been using them," Dr Roose said.

"What really needs to be done is to address the broader deeper issues that have given rise.

"Here we're talking about increasing socio-economic inequalities, we're talking about regions that are really facing significant socio-economic challenges, people who are feeling marginalised, alienated, angry, and that requires a whole of government approach.

"It requires a realignment of our economic approaches, that requires a consideration of the role of our education system, and it requires a broader conversation about the polarisation that we've seen emerge in Australia over the last half decade."

The promise of national legislation sending a message to far right groups has long been called for by many groups targeted by Nazis, including the Jewish community.

Anti-Defamation Council chair Dvir Abramovich said he has been campaigning for the bans for a long time.

"This has been a long journey. I started this campaign six years ago when no one believed it to actually take place," he said.

Abramovich said the return of public displays from Nazis has been distressing for Holocaust survivors.

"We have seen a resurgence of the white supremacist movement here in Australia, becoming much more agitated, much more angry, taking their online activity into the real world, taking their activity to the steps of the Victorian Parliament House, doing their Heil Hitler salute," he said.

"Holocaust survivors who never imagined that in their lifetime, they would see the offspring of Hitler, marching through the streets, giving this salute, and trying to resurrect the ideology of extermination.

"For them, it's like being threatened with a gun. There's a hole in their heart."

- ABC