A few months ago, our Collector’s Branch made a submission to the Commonwealth Intelligence and Security Committee regarding the Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment (Prohibited Hate Symbols and Other Measures) Bill 2023, which would ban the trade of anything with Nazi swastikas or SS Lightning Bolts on it.
In addition to a thorough written submission saying we disagreed with this, the Collector’s Branch president also appeared at the public enquiry to reiterate the branch’s objection to the ban.
We have been completely ignored and the Committee has recommended the legislation be passed with a ban on the sale of Nazi swastikas or SS Lightning runes.
You can read the full report here, but Page 39 is particularly relevant: https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/committees/reportjnt/RB000178/toc_pdf/AdvisoryReportontheCounter-TerrorismLegislationAmendment(ProhibitedHateSymbolsandOtherMeasures)Bill2023.pdf
The Committee explicitly says they don’t think anyone should be able to trade in “the symbols of ideologies of hate and extremism”, and clearly do not care about collectors or their completely non-hateful reasons for wishing to purchase or collect items which might have Nazi symbols on them.
The Collector’s branch submission, and that of several other collectors, pointed out that almost everything related to the Government of Germany between 1933-1945 has Swastikas on it, including totally innocuous things like postage stamps, coins, and dinnerware. The committee has ignored this.
From a Collector’s Branch perspective, there is a possibility the upcoming laws will ban the sale of firearms with Nazi ownership marks on them, which is truly disturbing and will have serious ramifications for the collection, preservation, and study of firearms from that era. We are seeking clarification on this aspect of the legislation.
Note the law will not make it illegal to possess militaria with Nazi symbols on them – just sell or display them.
It goes without saying we abhor Nazism as an ideology and do not condone or glorify its hateful, genocidal ethos, and are deeply offended at having our concerns over the legislation brushed aside.
We’re waiting for the Bill itself to be presented in its modified form so we can understand exactly what we’re dealing with, and will keep you updated once we have more information.
