In a swift response to Australia’s newly enacted hate speech legislation, the controversial pan-Islamist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir has taken its Australian website offline. The digital disappearance occurred mere hours after Parliament passed Labor’s comprehensive hate speech reforms on Tuesday evening, which grant sweeping powers to designate and criminalize hate groups.
The legislative overhaul, championed by Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke and supported by ASIO intelligence assessments, establishes severe penalties for membership, recruitment, funding, or leadership of designated hate organizations. The laws specifically target groups advocating hate crimes based on race, national or ethnic origin.
ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess had previously testified before a Senate inquiry that Hizb ut-Tahrir had mastered operating within legal boundaries while promoting divisive rhetoric. The organization had recently accused Burgess of employing ‘Islamophobic tropes’ during a Lowy Institute lecture where he compared their strategies to those of neo-Nazi groups.
The Nationalist Socialist Network (NSN), another targeted organization, announced its dissolution last week following government scrutiny. Hizb ut-Tahrir, already banned in multiple countries including the UK, Germany, and China, maintains a controversial platform advocating for a unified Islamic caliphate while denying any violent intentions.
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley negotiated crucial oversight mechanisms requiring ASIO’s support for designations and mandatory briefings of opposition leadership. The website’s unavailability, confirmed through multiple access attempts including VPN connections, signals the immediate impact of Australia’s strengthened counter-extremism framework.