Rubbish...These changes simply challenge the dogma of multiculturalism, nothing more!

Section 18C has now been clearly demonstrated to be a significant impediment to free speech and the right to express opinion even if offensive to some. There is nothing more important than these two rights in maintaining the democratic culture of Australia and Australians. The politically correct and looney left (often the same group) have had a good run, but have been shown to have feet of clay. In my opinion the Australian Human Rights Commission has done more to take away our basic human rights than to protect them. It certainly has not done anything to assist Jewish people from rampant anti-semitism from the Greens and the Left. It has reached its use-by date and I would like to see the whole shebang terminated. Another positive from that would be an extra billion or so dollars saved.

I have to agree with DD and PP.
If speech is to be truly free, then it must contain a right to offend, that any reasonable person, (or a dozen of your peers) would agree that it didn't cross a line, to become intimidation or racial vilification.
We can become just a little too precious, and hurt feelings should never be allowed to work to actually censor free speech. But particularly, if those very feeling have their origins in early formative development, i.e., blatant bullying/indoctrination?
After all, we live in a land, where the term you Pommy bar steward, said with a smile, according to tradition and the social mores, is a term of endearment!
Ditto if we ask a dark gentleman, (paraphrased) to smile in the night, so we can see him!
If we ever fall into the proposed trap, we may risk becoming like Russia, were your free to report anything Putin will actually allow.
Not too much is reported from the Gulags or the grave!
Free speech is fundamental to and a cornerstone of democracy!
In recent decades Govts have, I believe, wound back our rights and freedoms/privileges, largely because there was no bill of irrevocable rights to prevent/stop the power hungry!?
The way to protect the most vulnerable, is with a real bill of rights!
Not the defacto/risible nonsense in 18 B or C!
Rhrosty.

“these laws protect all Australians.”, you say. From what are we protected, by this retrograde law? What you assert is nonsense.

We do not want Australia to be a place where a case like the Bolt case could ever occur, and you are advocating retention of the law which enabled the case to be brought to Court.
Section 18C must be repealed. No more specious arguments can stand, now that we have seen the disgraceful working of it in practice. If Bolt were a whining lefty, he would be asking for compensation for what he suffered under this disgraceful legislation.

Exactly Leo,
Anti vilification laws don't protect all Australians, the majority of Australians are governed by these laws but not protected by them, the minorities are protected by them but not governed by them.

The most glaring current example of why 18c has to go is the way Fred Toben's submission has been seized upon by the Anti Racists, it doesn't matter that he's right about anti vilification laws being in fact Holocaust narrative protection laws he himself is vilified because his views might tend to violate that very law.
It's unworkable and the truth is most of us would welcome the end of Australia as we know it, the dumbed down, politically illiterate and intellectually barren society we inhabit needs to be knocked over and rebuilt.
Ironically the most obvious example of how restricting free speech dulls the mind and has a chilling effect not only on dissent but on intellectual inquiry can be found in National Socialist Germany, but of course we're not allowed to draw comparisons between today's Anti Racists and yesterdays socialists are we?
That might tend to offend, insult or intimidate the poor, sensitive little darlings.

Every Australian is protected by anti-vilification laws. They go to what sort of society we want.

Our laws should not condone bullying. No amount of well-intentioned community education can overcome that clear message from the Government’s legislative agenda if Senator Brandis’ proposed new law is legislated. After a while racial vilification and intimidation will become socially acceptable.

History teaches us that violence almost inevitably follows. The liberty of the powerful is enlarged; the liberty of the less powerful in society is diminished.

The English philosopher John Stuart Mill recognised that liberty does not licence individuals to do as they please in his famous "Essay on Liberty". That would mean the absence of law and of order, and ultimately the destruction of liberty