Australia bans White Australia neo-Nazi group under hate laws
Australia has moved to designate the neo-Nazi group White Australia as a prohibited hate group, with the listing due to take effect from midnight.
The decision means support for the organisation will become a criminal offence under laws introduced after the Bondi terror attack.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the group, previously known as the National Socialist Network and the European Australian Movement, could not evade the law by changing names.
He said the ban would cover supporting, funding, training, recruiting, joining or directing the group.
The offence carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.
Mr Burke said the measure was intended to stop the group from organising and meeting, and to prevent some of the rallies linked to it.
The move comes amid concern about neo-Nazi activity at anti-immigration rallies and other public events.
Mr Burke said there had been arrests linked to people motivated by white supremacist ideology, including incidents in Melbourne and Adelaide.
Police in South Australia arrested 16 alleged Neo-Nazis after they disrupted a Survival Day rally in Adelaide last January, including one person charged with displaying a Nazi symbol.
