From the ABC:

HRC mulls legal action over Tamworth anti-refugee leaflets

The Human Rights Commission says a leaflet drop calling on the Tamworth community to resist the arrival of African refugees could be subject to legal action.

The Australia First Party has distributed thousands of the leaflets in Tamworth, in north-west New South Wales, alleging the council caved in to Commonwealth pressure by allowing Sudanese refugees to settle in the district.

It says the new arrivals will bring violence, crime and disease to the community.

Human Rights Commissioner Graeme Innes says people objecting to the leaflet could potentially take the matter to court.

“If they felt that it was incitement to racial hatred, [they] could lodge a complaint under the Race Discrimination Act,” he said.

“Then the Commission would investigate that complaint and attempt to resolve it by conciliation and if it wasn’t resolved then the complainants would have the opportunity to resolve it in the Federal Court or the Federal Magistrates Court.

“That’s where the question of its lawfulness would be determined.”

The Australia First Party says it would almost welcome being taken to court for distributing the pamphlets.

The party’s state president, Jim Saleam, says he believes in confronting the Commission at every opportunity.

“This is Gestapo stuff, this is thought police stuff, in fact in some ways we would welcome if they did attempt to bring any member of the party up before these kangaroo courts,” he said.

“But naturally we are limited in what we can say publicly before the Gestapo brings the case.”