Christian Democratic Party leader the Rev Fred Nile is again trying to ban the wearing of the burqa in NSW.
Mr Nile’s private members bill, introduced in state parliament on Thursday, would prohibit the wearing of the burqa and other face coverings in public.
It follows similar bans in Belgium and France and comes after his failed attempt at blacklisting face coverings in 2010.
Mr Nile denies the bill is anti-Muslim, saying his concern lies with national security.
The MP sought to align his bill with Wednesday’s arrest in Queensland of two men allegedly linked to terrorist groups in Syria.
‘We also face the new Islamic State (IS) terrorist threat, whose black uniforms for both men and women include face coverings to prevent identification,’ he told the chamber on Thursday.
Under his plan, a person who covers their face in public would face a $550 fine and a person who forces someone else to cover their face would be hit with a $1100 penalty.
While Mr Nile stressed that his bill’s text does not include the words ‘burqa or Muslim’, much of his speech to parliament about the plan focused on the burqa.
The plan allows faces to be covered under certain conditions, such as during a parade or if ‘Sydney is suddenly hit by a blizzard and ski masks are the latest fashion’, the MP said.
Labor MP Amanda Fazio said the bill clearly targeted Muslim women.
She said Rev Nile’s comments suggested women who chose to wear the Islamic garb were ‘bad citizens’.
Greens MP Mehreen Faruqi said the move was another example of ‘conservative men trying to control what women do’.
‘Whether it’s the right to abortion or wearing clothing of their choice, Reverend Nile seems obsessed with what women do with their bodies,’ Dr Faruqi said in a statement.
‘We live in a society where people have the right to wear what they want.’
Debate on the bill was adjourned until Tuesday.