Build community instead of banning slogans

Late last year, following the tragic events at Bondi, the NSW Government announced an Inquiry into Measures to Prohibit Slogans That Incite Hatred. While no one would question the need to look into actions the government can take to ensure such a horrific action never takes place again, the timing of this inquiry, as well as the limitation of its Terms of Reference (ToR), mean there is little likelihood of getting a truly diverse range of responses which reflect community opinions.

The inquiry was referred on 22 December, with submissions due by 12 January, a time when many are busy with end-of-year celebrations and/or are on holiday.

But the question is – can social harmony and community cohesion really be advanced through the banning of phrases and slogans? Or will the banning of a slogan such as “globalise the intifada” (which was called out in the Inquiry ToR)  just create a new and heavy burden for Government as community members report more and more phrases which they find affronting? 

Freedom of speech is one of the foundational principles of democratic society.

By banning individual phrases or words, we not only risk descending into an Orwellian type of ‘newspeak’, but may also condemn Government to a frustrating situation where new phrases or slogans constantly arise and need to be dealt with as quickly as old ones are banned.  As a colleague quipped, it will be like a never-ending game of ‘whack-a-mole’.

I would also point out we already have an inquiry under way into the NSW Government’s ability to protect communities from hatred, intimidation and violence.

The Review of criminal law protections against the incitement of hatred is currently underway under the leadership of Honourable John Sackar and will soon release its report into the effectiveness of existing laws which provide the community with protections against hate speech and incitement of violence. 

So here’s a thought. The NSW Government could take a more proactive community development approach to build community cohesion and connectivity, rather than a punitive censorship approach.

Many years ago, government funded grassroots community-building initiatives under fantastic programs such as Community Services Grants Program (CSGP), later known as Community Builders.

These were recurrent grants to local government and not-for-profit organisations including Neighbourhood and Community Centres which delivered generalist community development activities to create stronger, more connected and inclusive communities. Activities which brought people together to break down barriers of age, of ethnicity, of culture and religion. Activities that were designed with local communities, for local communities.

And to support that community building work, let’s have community education programs which celebrate NSW's multicultural history and the contributions that generations of migrant communities have made to this state.   

Because ultimately, bringing people together and building stronger community connections will be far more effective than policing speech.