As the government brings its new hate laws to parliament, it’s worth remembering past attempts suggest legislation used to outlaw political groups have been neither wise nor necessary Australia’s history of banning political groups gives pause for thought as to whether we really want to go down this route again. During the first world war, the Unlawful Associations Act 1916 was enacted and used to ban a group called Industrial Workers of the World. Membership was made a criminal offence. Members could also be deported if they were not British subjects born in Australia. Anne Twomey is a Professor emerita in constitutional law at the University of Sydney Continue reading...