Religious and union groups worry about proposed ban on certain phrases

Religious and union groups raise concerns about push to ban certain phrases in QueenslandBy state political reporter Jack McKayTopic:Government and Politics12m ago12 minutes agoWed 18 Feb 2026 at 7:46pmA parliamentary committee is examining major reforms that would ban the use of certain phrases and expressions. (ABC News: Arianna Levy)In short:Religious groups and unions have made submissions to a Queensland parliamentary committee probing new laws that would ban certain phrases and expressions.The Islamic Council of Queensland and the Archdiocese of Brisbane raised concerns about religious freedom and civil liberties.What's next?The committee will table its report on February 27.abc.net.au/news/queensland-antisemitism-phrase-ban/106358470Link copiedShareShare articleReligious groups and unions have raised concerns about the Queensland government's push to ban the use of certain phrases and expressions.The LNP introduced the major reforms to state parliament last week as part of its crackdown on antisemitism in the wake of the Bondi Beach terror attack.The government has already confirmed it intends to ban phrases such as "globalise the intifada" and "from the river to the sea" once the bill passes parliament.In a submission to a parliamentary committee probing the legislation, the Islamic Council of Queensland (ICQ) was critical of the reforms.It said it was concerned the reforms sought to criminalise what it described as "venting speech" — and suggested the bill posed a threat to civil liberties and political expression."Phrases such as 'from the river to the sea' or 'globalise the intifada' are understood by our community not as incitements to physical violence, but as calls for justice, democracy, and equal treatment for all citizens in the Holy Land," their submission said. Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies president Jason Steinberg. (ABC News: Lawrence Jeffcoat )"Suppressing non-violent political slogans often has the counterproductive effect of making marginalised groups feel helpless."History demonstrates that the state is often an unreliable judge of which slogans constitute 'incitement'."The meaning of "globalise the intifada" is contested.The word "intifada" means "shaking off" in Arabic and has been used to refer to two periods of violent Palestinian protest against Israel.The Queensland Jewish Board of Deputies (QJBD) said the phrases "globalise the intifada" and "from the river to the sea" played a key role in incidents designed to intimidate Jewish individuals.In its submission to the committee, the organisation said it was essential that the use of slogans promoting "Jew-hatred or violence" was addressed through reasonable and proportionate legal measures.It has backed the government's proposed reforms."Opponents of the amendments included in the bill may make various arguments, including that they are not necessary, overreach, or will be ineffective," it said."However, we know that, historically, criminalising hateful and inciteful language has been absolutely critical to dismantling hate movements and reducing anti-Jewish violence and hate-crimes."The QJBD said while it recognised the importance of the freedom of speech, it maintained this did not extend to a right to intimidate, vilify, or incite violence against a minority group.'Serious concerns'The Archdiocese of Brisbane raised "serious concerns" about the structure and operation of the proposed prohibited expressions changes.In its submission, the archdiocese said it supported action against the explicit incitement of violence and discrimination.But it noted it did not support a framework that risked capturing "general or ambiguous" slogans that could be used in different contexts and were not inherently incitements to violence.It recommended the government establish "detailed statutory criteria" that would govern when an expression could be banned.Hate symbols banned in antisemitism crackdownMore than a dozen hate symbols banned under Queensland government crackdown on antisemitism."Speech is a core civil liberty. The criminalisation of speech is among the most serious forms of state intervention," the archdiocese said."Where the executive is empowered to define new categories of criminal speech by regulation, the safeguards must be especially robust."The Queensland Council of Unions (QCU) has also claimed the bill would unreasonably limit every Queenslander's right to freedom of expression.The QCU said the reforms weakened legal safeguards that protected people from "arbitrary criminalisation of speech"."The bill abandons that safeguard and replaces it with a subjective and political test," the peak group for Queensland unions said."It allows an expression to be prohibited if a minister is merely 'satisfied' that it is 'regularly used' to incite discrimination, hostility or violence."This is not an objective legal standard. It is a discretionary poli