Protecting Free Speech The following is a submission to the Queensland Parliamentary Committee – responding to the Fighting Antisemitism and Keeping Guns Out of the Hands of Terrorists and Criminals Amendment Bill 2026.  QUEENSLAND PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE FIGHTING ANTISEMITISM AND KEEPING GUNS OUT OF THE HANDS OF TERRORISTS AND CRIMINALS AMENDMENT BILL 2026 SUBMISSION BY DAVID LEWIS, BA, LLB, LAWYER, HERVEY BAY QLD FORMER MEMBER OF QUEENSLAND CIVIL AND ADMINISTRATIVE TRIBUNAL FORMER COUNCILLOR FRASER COAST REGIONAL COUNCIL   Thank you for the opportunity to make a submission to your inquiry. My submission is limited to the proposed new section 52DA, that is concerning prohibited expressions. Introduction: restrictions on free speech Free speech, especially political speech, is protected by a number of relevant legal instruments and decisions. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 19 provides: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold

Freedom is the greater good! The Queensland Government has introduced the Fighting Antisemitism and Keeping Guns out of the Hands of Terrorists and Criminals Amendment Bill 2026. It was introduced to Parliament on 10 February 2026 and immediately referred to the Justice, Integrity and Community Safety Committee. Submissions close on 17 February, with the committee required to report back by 27 February. The previous articles examined the impact on freedom of speech and weapons law reforms. This article turns to the Bill’s impact on surveillance legislation. The Bill’s Explanatory Notes state: “Currently, Chapter 11 of the Police Service Administration Act 1990 authorises controlled operations for the purpose of obtaining evidence that may lead to the prosecution of persons for relevant offences. It does not currently permit the authorisation of controlled operations for purposes of disruption or prevention of criminal conduct. This bill will allow the authorisation of controlled operations to

Changes to QLD Weapons Laws The Queensland Government has introduced the Fighting Antisemitism and Keeping Guns out of the Hands of Terrorists and Criminals Amendment Bill 2026. It was introduced to Parliament on 10 February 2026 and immediately referred to the Justice, Integrity and Community Safety Committee. Submissions close on 17 February, with the committee required to report back by 27 February. The previous article examined the impact on freedom of speech. This article turns to the Bill’s impact on firearms legislation. The stated purpose is to keep weapons out of the hands of terrorists and criminals. On that front, many of the reforms are difficult to oppose. After the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, all Australian jurisdictions adopted significantly tighter firearms controls compared with many other countries. Those reforms introduced licensing requirements, genuine reason tests for ownership, safe storage obligations, and prohibitions on certain categories of weapons. Queensland’s framework operates