{"id":2170,"date":"2024-11-13T14:13:07","date_gmt":"2024-11-13T03:13:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.melbasupport.com.au\/?p=2170"},"modified":"2026-06-15T18:21:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T08:21:24","slug":"victorias-anti-vilification-law-changes-to-cover-disability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.melbasupport.com.au\/victorias-anti-vilification-law-changes-to-cover-disability\/","title":{"rendered":"Victoria\u2019s anti-vilification law changes to cover disability"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"2170\" class=\"elementor elementor-2170\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-177b0715 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"177b0715\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-68510c5 e-con-full home-banner e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"68510c5\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-52d82326 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget-laptop__width-initial elementor-widget-tablet_extra__width-initial elementor-widget-tablet__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"52d82326\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Victoria\u2019s anti-vilification law changes to cover disability<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-111bb76a elementor-widget elementor-widget-post-info\" data-id=\"111bb76a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"post-info.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"elementor-inline-items elementor-icon-list-items elementor-post-info\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item elementor-repeater-item-f88c87c elementor-inline-item\" itemprop=\"datePublished\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text elementor-post-info__item elementor-post-info__item--type-date\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<time> 13 November 2024<\/time>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-24afd8f e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"24afd8f\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-722452ae e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"722452ae\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1eb1ee14 link elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1eb1ee14\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Victoria\u2019s hate speech laws are set for a significant overhaul to include protections for people with disability and LGBTQIA+ communities, with a lowered threshold for police to pursue criminal charges.<\/p>\n<p>Under the proposed amendments to the Racial and Religious Tolerance Act, protections against hate speech will expand beyond race and religion to cover attributes such as disability and gender identity. The changes will also cover family or close friends of individuals with a protected attribute.<\/p>\n<p>Currently, the laws require police to prove that a person has incited hatred and threatened physical harm or property damage based on race or religion. The revised threshold will require only proof of incitement to hatred or threat of physical harm on the grounds of a protected attribute.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis isn\u2019t about curtailing people\u2019s ability to practice the religion that they hold,\u201d Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes told the ABC. \u201cThis is squarely about protecting vulnerable people from hate speech.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The new laws, expected to be introduced in state parliament this month, are \u201ca crucial step forward\u201d in safeguarding the dignity and rights of people with disability, Melba CEO Hayley Dean said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIntimidatory language targets the very fabric of people\u2019s lives and erodes their sense of safety, belonging, and equality \u2013 values that we at Melba hold dear,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese proposed changes are especially welcome as they acknowledge the unique vulnerabilities of people with disability, many of whom have faced discrimination, prejudice and harmful speech for far too long.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe broader legal protections will help create a safer environment and send a powerful message that discrimination in any form is unacceptable.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMelba is committed to fostering inclusivity, respect and a supportive society.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Transgender Victoria CEO Son Vivienne highlighted the broader social impact of the amendments, emphasising that the changes could lead to greater reflection on how language and ideas impact marginalised communities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s really deep and powerful when we see lawmakers actually acknowledge our right to be the way we are, regardless of how we present, or our pronouns, or our names,\u201d they told the ABC.<\/p>\n<p>Islamic Council of Victoria president Adel Salman welcomed the lowering of the threshold because the laws were more \u201caccessible\u201d which was an important deterrent.<\/p>\n<p>Rabbi Gabi Kaltmann, who runs the Ark Centre in Hawthorn, told the ABC: \u201cThe broadening of these laws is going to make more and more Victorians safe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The expanded legislation aims to create a more inclusive society while protecting individual rights.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-268a11fe e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"268a11fe\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-40c633a8 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"40c633a8\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-359396e1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"359396e1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Share<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element 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55.52 4.84 55.52 4.84v61h-31.28c-30.8 0-40.41 19.12-40.41 38.73V256h68.78l-11 71.69h-57.78V501C413.31 482.38 504 379.78 504 256z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-grid-item\" role=\"listitem\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-share-btn elementor-share-btn_linkedin\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-label=\"Share on linkedin\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-share-btn__icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fab-linkedin\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M416 32H31.9C14.3 32 0 46.5 0 64.3v383.4C0 465.5 14.3 480 31.9 480H416c17.6 0 32-14.5 32-32.3V64.3c0-17.8-14.4-32.3-32-32.3zM135.4 416H69V202.2h66.5V416zm-33.2-243c-21.3 0-38.5-17.3-38.5-38.5S80.9 96 102.2 96c21.2 0 38.5 17.3 38.5 38.5 0 21.3-17.2 38.5-38.5 38.5zm282.1 243h-66.4V312c0-24.8-.5-56.7-34.5-56.7-34.6 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charges.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":6477,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2170","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Victoria\u2019s anti-vilification law changes to cover disability | Melba Support Services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Victoria\u2019s hate speech laws are set for a significant overhaul to include protections for people with disability and LGBTQIA+ communities, with a lowered threshold for police to pursue criminal charges.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, 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