Is blasphemy illegal in Australia?
Criminal offense
Blasphemy remains a common law offence in several Australian jurisdictions, though laws have been repealed at the federal level.
Australia is one of 40 countries classified “Criminal offense” for blasphemy — 70% of the 57 with data.
Source
- Taken from
- Wikipedia: Blasphemy law
- Last checked
- 7 July 2026
- How it was classified
- Classified by a language model from the source text, then checked against hand-verified reference countries.
Nearby countries
- Indonesia
- Criminal offense Indonesia's Article 156(a) criminalizes public expressions of hostility toward religions, with up to five years imprisonment.
- Malaysia
- Criminal offense Malaysia prohibits insult to religion with penalties under both Sharia courts and the Malaysian Penal Code.
- New Zealand
- No blasphemy law New Zealand repealed its blasphemy law in 2019.
- Philippines
- Criminal offense Philippines punishes crimes against religious worship with imprisonment.
- Tuvalu
- Criminal offense Tuvalu criminalizes wounding religious feelings with up to one year imprisonment.
- Thailand
- Criminal offense Thailand has blasphemy laws under the 1956 penal code and Sangha Act, with imprisonment penalties for insulting Buddhism or religious beliefs.
Other laws in Australia
- Holocaust Denial
- No specific law
- Conversion Therapy
- Varies by region
A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.