Hate crime legislation coming soon, bail and sentencing reform to follow: Fraser

Justice Minister Sean Fraser says he will introduce new hate crime legislation in the coming days, with reforms on bail and violent crime sentencing to follow.

Fraser says the legislation will go beyond campaign commitments of protecting religious institutions from "obstruction and intimidation" and include measures for the broader community.

During the election, the Liberals promised to make it a criminal offence to obstruct access to or threaten people visiting a place of worship, school or community centre.

Police reports of hate crimes have been on the rise since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, and subsequent war in Gaza.

Fraser says parts of the new bill "may reflect" hate crime provisions that were first introduced in the Online Harm Act, which did not pass before the election reset the legislative agenda.

The minister says he plans to introduce legislation around bail and sentencing reform in October.