All along the watchtower

Last month, the Queensland government passed the Fighting Antisemitism Amendment Bill in response to the Bondi massacre. It is admirable that Premier David Crisafulli acted swiftly in response to the Bondi massacre; however, hate is not a simple problem – it’s a wicked problem: complex, sly, resistant to hard power, deeply rooted in human behaviour, and almost impervious to legislation alone. Law alone cannot eradicate hate. In addition, bold thinking and even bolder solutions are required.

The Act’s proscribed phrases – “from the river to the sea” and “globalise the intifada”- carry a possible two-year prison sentence if used in a menacing or offensive manner. Naturally, these provisions have angered many. But if we sidestep public debate for a moment, this is where we see hate speech legislation wobble-where words, tone, and intention fall under increasing legal scrutiny; where people begin second-guessing what they say, fearing lapses, misinterpretation, or unintended breaches.

Over time, the risk of causing harm is displaced by a fear of ‘getting in trouble’. Activists and ordinary citizens alike self-censor, afraid of crossing an invisible line, and what began as a moral safeguard risks becoming a behavioural chokepoint. In the meantime, hate adapts, migrating into innuendo, coded language, and private networks. Consider Thomas Sewell’s recent protest, when he and his followers marched in matching Helly Hansen jackets. Two letters: H.H.

With the global resurgence of far-right populism, existing laws have already reached their limits. Individuals have proven indifferent to racism and bigotry, some even revelling in their brazen narrow-mindedness. Legal protections matter, of course, but they achieve very little if we ignore the conditions that give hate room to breathe – conditions of fear, grievance, dislocation, and baseless, untethered emotion. The EU’s DRIVE project indicates how often radicalisation stems from marginalisation or the slow erosion of belonging. And no, Australia is not immune. Rising inequity, worsening mental health, and rapid cultural change have left many feeling unmoored and forgotten. If these are not problems the law alone can solve, the next question is: how do we solve them?

In a recent interview, Minister Burke recalled Pauline Hanson’s infamous visit to Lakemba, and how she brought along a television crew in giddy anticipation of abuse from the suburb’s Muslim-majority community. Instead, she was met with warmth and generosity.

If hate feeds on distance, caricature, and otherness, human decency starves it out. If social harmony is built through difficult conversations and love, then to love someone means seeing them as God intended. And if the Queensland government is sincere, what they need is a holistic, whole-of-government response aimed at addressing hate at its onset rather than banning its supposed expression.

A difficult political sell? Yes. Multi-pronged strategies are vulnerable to failure, offer very few headlines, and demand both patience and empathy from lawmakers and voters alike. But if anyone can do it, Crisafulli can. It’s easy to remember his Adult Crime, Adult Time policies. More inconspicuous are his youth outreach measures.

When Jeremy Bentham imagined the perfect prison, he pictured the panopticon: a circular jail built around a central watchtower, where prisoners could be watched at any moment, never knowing when they were being observed. After a while, surveillance becomes internalised, and the prisoners start policing themselves. Modern society, with its CCTV and retentive internet culture, operates in much the same way – we act out of trepidation rather than for moral good.

And as much as order looks like justice from the watchtower, it is not the same thing. Justice, and the fight against hate, require more than force. In today’s modern panopticon, the challenge goes beyond what the law forbids. It also lies in the environment the law creates, where organisations must manage both legal risk and reputational exposure. Success depends on navigating the space between these pressures, reading intent, and acting with precision. The SAS Group works in the spaces in between – helping you translate advocacy into action—so you can move forward with clarity, confidence, and strategic control.