Content warning: This page contains content about hate speech and conduct, including prejudice-motivated violence. This may be distressing or confronting to read. If you need to talk to someone, you can access support by contacting one of the services listed at the bottom of the page.

The Victorian Government is seeking community feedback on how to strengthen its anti-vilification protections to better prevent and address hate speech and conduct.

Our public consultation on Engage Victoria (External link) is now open for submissions, with the first stage of the consultation closing at 5pm on Friday 8 September 2023.

Victoria’s rich diversity is one of our greatest strengths as a state. Hate and violence have no place in our community, and everyone has the right to feel safe in the place they call home.

Vilification is more commonly understood as hate speech or conduct. It is behaviour that encourages hatred against you because of who you are. This can include threats of violence – for example, writing graffiti that encourages violence against people who belong to a particular religious or ethnic group.

In Victoria, the Racial and Religious Tolerance Act 2001 protects people from vilification because of their race and religion. However, people who are vilified for other reasons, such as their sexuality, gender identity and expression, sex characteristics, disability, and HIV/AIDS status, are not protected by these current laws. Vilification is different to discrimination and sexual harassment, which are covered by different laws.

Anti-vilification reform is a complex issue which will benefit from broad community feedback, especially from those who are most often impacted by vilification. Consultation will be phased throughout 2023 to allow time for communities to meaningfully contribute.

You can provide feedback through written submissions on detailed consultation papers or by responding to plain English surveys on Engage Victoria.

Translated content, interpreter support, and other communication access options are available. Please contact reform@justice.vic.gov.au (External link) for further in-language information, telephone interpreters, and any other access needs.

Community feedback will be carefully considered to help inform any changes to the law following the Victorian government’s response (External link) to the parliamentary inquiry into anti-vilification protections (External link).

To find out more and share your views, visit engage.vic.gov.au/anti-vilification (External link) 

Access support 

beyondblue (External link) 
1300 224 636 
Provides 24-hour counselling for suicide prevention and mental health. Includes dedicated resources for First Nations people (External link). 

1800RESPECT (External link) 
1800 737 732 
Provides Australia-wide 24/7 support to people impacted by domestic, family or sexual violence. 

MensLine Australia (External link) 
1300 789 978 
Provides support, information and referral service for men across Australia. 

Lifeline (External link) 
13 11 14 
Provides 24/7 crisis support and suicide prevention services. 

Suicide Call Back Service (External link) 
1300 659 467 
Provides 24/7 counselling for suicide prevention and mental health. 

Yarning SafeNStrong (External link) 
1800 95 95 63 
Victoria-wide 24/7 social and emotional wellbeing helpline for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.  

QLife (External link) 
1800 184 527 
Provides Australia-wide LGBTIQ+ peer support and referrals.