Australia’s dangerous new hate speech bill

In the wake of the Bondi Beach terror attack, the government has responded in the predictable way.

Restrictions on freedom of speech are often perceived as the magical solution to society’s ills. After the horrific murder of the toddler James Bulger in 1993, there were parliamentary debates about the need for tighter controls on violent movies and video games. More recently, the murder of Sir David Amess in 2021 prompted politicians in the UK to argu…