One Law For All NSW Welcomes the NSW Government’s Release of the Sackar Review
On Tuesday 4th August 2026, NSW Attorney-General Michael Daley released the long-awaited findings of the Sackar Review — a government-commissioned inquiry into hate speech legislation conducted by Justice John Sackar KC and handed to the Attorney-General on November 5 2025. After nearly 9 months of delay, the NSW Government has made the report available to the public alongside its response- dismissing the review’s central recommendation of expanding similar protections “to apply to additional protected attributes,” including LGBTQIA+ people.
The review, which focused on “criminal law protections against the incitement of hatred following the introduction of the Inciting Racial Hatred Act,” found that “the current gaps in protection compromise the integrity of the law and leave substantial segments of the community vulnerable” and strongly recommended that these gaps be closed to avoid a “hierarchical, two-tier model of protection” which is “detrimental to social cohesion.”
In response to a number of horrific antisemitic incidents in 2024-25, the NSW government amended the Crimes Act 1900 in February 2025 to establish a new section, 93ZAA, which made it a crime to intentionally and publicly incite hatred towards another person, or group of people, on the grounds of race. However, a number of legal bodies including the NSW Law Reform Commission raised concerns about the complex and vague nature of the new offences, also flagging that similar protections were not being extended to other vulnerable groups. This concern was ultimately echoed by Sackar, who previously led the NSW Special Commission of Inquiry into LGBTIQ hate crimes, stating it was “difficult to dispute the principle that vulnerable groups should receive equal treatment under the criminal law.”
In response to the Government’s dismissal of the report’s recommendations, independent NSW MP for Sydney Alex Greenwich has declared that he will “develop a package of reforms to implement these recommendations, along with additional measures to better protect vulnerable communities.” A long-time advocate for the removal of legal exemptions giving private religious schools free reign to discriminate against LGBTQ+ staff and students, Greenwich confirmed that “[the] package will also include amendments to the Anti-Discrimination Act to end the ability of private religious schools to sack staff or expel students because of their sexuality or gender identity.”
One Law For All NSW is a youth-led advocacy organisation that exists to fight for the protection of LGBTQ+ students in the NSW private education system. By pushing for vital changes to the Anti-Discrimination Act, we are fighting for the right to education without discrimination. We welcome the Government’s release of the review while being concerned by their refusal to accept its key recommendation. We sincerely thank Mr Greenwich for his solidarity with LGBTQ+ staff and students fearing discrimination, and look forward to seeing his reform package developed and introduced to NSW Parliament in the next term.
If your mental wellbeing or that of someone you know is affected by the topics spoken about above, a list of support services can be found below.
Beyond Blue - 1300 22 4636
Lifeline - 13 11 14
Kids Helpline - 1800 55 1800
QLife - 1800 184 527
headspace - 1800 650 890
Suicide Callback Service - 1300 659 467
MensLine Australia - 1300 78 99 78