NSW empowers councils to cut utilities at extremist religious sites post-Bondi massacre, with federal hate law reforms pending.

In reaction to the Bondi massacre in 2023, NSW has given local councils the authority to shut off utilities to unapproved places of worship that support extremism. These "factories of hate" include Al Madina Dawah, which is connected to suspect Naveed Akram and preacher Wissam Haddad. The changes come after a Federal Court found that Haddad made derogatory racial remarks about the Jewish community in his sermons. Before approving new places of worship, councils are now required to consult the police. Before Australia Day, the federal parliament is being called back to discuss the expansion of hate laws, including the possibility of listing hate groups and aggravated offenses for violent extremist speech.