Tony Abbott wants to push “preachers of hate” red card legislation  through Parliament.

He announces  the plan with Alan Jones on 2GB.

Alan Jones,  is the man who has repeatedly faced court over claims he incited the Cronulla race riots with his own on air hate speech and who launched a vicious attack on Julia Gillard based on the demise of her father.  Who called for public the country’s prime minister ‒ amongst other public figures ‒ to be drowned at sea in a chaff bag.

This should be something that is overseen by a completely independent panel and has representatives from all cultures, religions and minority groups taking part.This is far too important an issue to let it be overrun by a blinkered, hypocritical rightwing agenda.

It is the same crowd that only recently, reluctantly, backed down on its election promise to amend the Racial Discrimination Act to allow people to promulgate racial hatred and bigotry. Abbott sought to give a green light to rather than a red card were Alan Jones and Andrew Bolt. How handy, then, to be discussing hate speech on the Alan Jones programme — they are the experts.

When Geert Wilders  who famous follower Anders Behring Breivik, who massacred 77 people in Norway in 2011; came here Andrew Bolt, Cory Bernardi and burqa banning George Christiansen  gave him the red carpet not the red card.

on radio to Jones Abbott said

“Under the law that we are bringing through the Parliament, hopefully before the end of the year, it will be an offence to promote terrorism ‒ not just to engage in terrorism ‒ but to promote terrorism.”

Abbott believes a “preacher of hate” is someone who promotes terrorism, not someone who is on a soapbox making speeches designed to promote intolerance, hatred, discrimination and ignorant bigotry.

Preacher of hate Alan Jones used the Abbott interview to preach some hatred about an Islamic organisation he wanted banned.The group is called Hizb ut-Tahrir.

Banning hasn’t exactly worked a treat for bikie gangs, Banning an organisation won’t suddenly change its members’ beliefs, indeed it would seem more likely to antagonise the membership.

It is starkly ironic that the same people arguing for greater freedom of speech when it came to the Racial Discrimination Act are the same ones wanting less freedom of speech for those whose views they find objectionable. Hypocrisy writ large.

If it was a criminal offence to preach hate in Australia, maybe we would see less comments from those seeking to promote class warfare by branding people such as the disabled, pensioners, single parents and the unemployed as “leaners” (or bludgers), claiming they are parasites on society while others do the “heavy lifting”.There is no doubt that hate speech is a current and relevant topic and something our laws need to consider.