The introduction of the Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism Bill 2026 into the Australian Parliament marks a precipitous descent into legislative authoritarianism. Masquerading as a necessary shield against the scourge of hatred, this omnibus Bill is, in reality, a sword struck at the heart of Australia’s liberal democratic tradition. It represents a fundamental realignment of the relationship between the citizen and the state, substituting the rule of law for the rule of executive suspicion, and replacing the presumption of innocence with a presumption of guilt for those who dare to traverse the increasingly narrow corridors of permissible expression and association.