New South Wales Premier Chris Minns has suggested free speech is fundamentally incompatible with Australia’s multicultural society. The claim comes on the heels of efforts to repeal the state’s controversial new hate speech laws, which were expedited following reports of antisemitic attacks later revealed to be hoaxes.
Minns criticized calls to repeal the legislation, stating, “Think about what kind of toxic message that would send to the New South Wales community.” He challenged opponents of the laws, questioning what sort of “racist abuse” they’d like to see on Sydney streets.
“[Australians] don’t have the same freedom of speech laws that they have in the United States, and the reason for that is that we want to hold together a multicultural community,” Minns said.
"Australians don't have the same freedom of speech laws that they have in the United States, and the reason for that is that we want to hold together a multicultural community…"
— Caldron Pool (@CaldronPool) March 17, 2025
When did Australians choose to trade their freedom for multiculturalism?pic.twitter.com/P98nqTMlj1
Australian academic Stephen Chavura slammed the Premier’s comments, arguing that Australians were never consulted about sacrificing their freedoms in the name of multiculturalism.
“When were Australians ever asked whether they wanted to make a trade-off between multiculturalism and the freedoms, like freedom of speech, that we’ve enjoyed for generations?” he asked.
Why multiculturalism must be abolished pic.twitter.com/xE0sowcakG
— Stephen Chavura (@ChavuraStephen) March 18, 2025
Chavura asked, “Why exactly is multiculturalism incompatible with freedom of speech? Well, again, the basic admission there is that we have imported people into this country who hate the fact that Australians might be able to say whatever they want about, for example, Islam. They may be able to say whatever they want about whether or not they want large Islamic communities in Australia.
He claimed that instead of assimilating to Australian values, the nation is increasingly adapting to accommodate diverse perspectives that may not uphold traditional freedoms.
John Ruddick, Libertarian Member of the New South Wales Parliament, is working to repeal the recently passed laws, claiming that the Minns Government misled Parliament about the bill’s urgency.
“Australian Federal Police confirmed the motives behind these incidents were part of a criminal conspiracy, whose intent was to negotiate reduced sentences for crimes unrelated to these matters,” he said.
Ruddick said the passing of the new legislation has brought shame to the Parliament of New South Wales.
Libertarian MLC @JohnRuddick2 has informed Parliament that he plans to introduce a repeal of new ‘Hate Speech’ laws, arguing that the public and Parliament were misled about their urgency.
— Australians vs. The Agenda (@ausvstheagenda) March 18, 2025
He claims a blocked inquiry would have exposed the bills’ motive was rooted in a hoax. pic.twitter.com/JQCOhd2lK6
