Labor bill proposes up to seven years’ jail for doxing but drops promised new hate speech laws

The attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, said Labor’s privacy and doxing bills reflect that ‘Australians have a right to have their privacy respected’. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

The new proposed crime of doxing would be punishable by up to seven years in jail for targeting someone for their race, religion or sexuality but Labor has backed down on its proposal to outlaw hate speech and vilification against minority groups.

Malicious release of personal data would be criminalised under a bill to be introduced by the attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, on Thursday along with a separate bill implementing the first tranche of privacy reforms.