Why This Matters to All of Us
Every community has a responsibility to stop harm, tell the truth, and make sure no one is above the law.
Genocide does not begin with mass violence. It begins when governments look away, when harm is justified, and when justice is made unreachable. By signing up to the 1948 UN Genocide Convention, Australia has promised the world it will prevent and punish the crime of genocide, yet our laws still protect political power instead of people.
That is what this work is about.
What We Tried to Change
I introduced a Private Senators Bill (Criminal Code Amendment (Genocide, Crimes against Humaity and War Crimes) Bill 2024), so that Australian courts could deal with cases on such cries without politicians deciding who gets justice.
Right now, a single political figure, the Attorney General, has the power to block these cases from ever being heard in a domestic court. Survivors can do everything right and still be shut out. This is not justice. It is political control.
This Bill was designed to remove that block.
What Happened in Parliament
In February 2024, the Bill was introduced to the Senate and sent to a parliamentary inquiry.
Communities showed up. Survivors, international legal experts, First Peoples, and human rights organisations made submissions. The message was consistent and clear. Australia must stop shielding genocide from accountability.
Despite this, on 26 March 2025, Labor and the Coalition voted together to stop the Bill. They chose to keep the Attorney General’s veto in place. The Bill was blocked and could not even be put to a vote.
At the same time, the Government refused to allow a Senate inquiry into another package of three further Genocide bills, called the Genocide Red Lines package. These laws were designed to stop Australia from trading, investing, or exporting weapons where there is a real risk of genocide. Yet, the government blocked even standard democratic scrutiny of these bills, which is a rare move, yet one that clearly shows this government’s unwillingness to fulfill its obligations under the Genocide convention.
What This Means Right Now
Politicians still decide whether genocide cases are allowed to proceed.
Survivors are locked out of justice unless the Government agrees.
Past decisions blocking genocide cases remain protected from review.
Australia continues to fall short of its responsibilities under international law.
This is not an accident. It is a political choice.
Why This Fight Isn’t Over
The vote in Parliament did not end this work. It exposed the problem.
Thousands of people across the country have added their names to the petition asking for this bill to be passed. Communities are refusing to let this issue be buried.
Genocide reform is now part of the public record. It has a paper trail. It has accountability. And it will return.
Change has never come from waiting for permission. It comes from people refusing to accept laws that allow harm to continue.
This work is about protecting people everywhere from the worst crimes imaginable.
And it is not finished.