When will we designate Hizballah as a terrorist organisation

The Australian Government announced:

The Morrison Government continues to keep Australians safe from terrorism and violent extremism, by announcing today the intention to list The Base and the entirety of Hizballah as terrorist organisations under the Criminal Code.

Minister for Home Affairs Karen Andrews said the Government is sending a strong message that Australia condemns the use of terrorism to achieve political, ideological or religious objectives.

“The Government has zero tolerance for violence, and there is no cause – religious or ideological – that can justify killing innocent people,” Minister Andrews said.

“The Morrison Government is committed to ensuring Australia has the right tools and legislation in place to combat the enduring threat of terrorism. As recent events in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and elsewhere around the world have demonstrated, we cannot be complacent.

“Australia is a nation of rich cultural backgrounds. Our community is built on a broad fabric of many and varied experiences and cultures, and our nation’s character is better off for it. The views of violent extremist groups such as these are a stain on that rich cultural fabric. There is no place in Australia for their hateful ideologies.”

Hizballah’s External Security Organisation has been a listed terrorist organisation since 2003. The group continues to threaten terrorist attacks and provides support to terrorist organisations such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas’ Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades.

New Zealand is an outlier in not designating Hezballah as a terrorist organisation. The Arab League and the Gulf Co-operation Council designate them as terrorists, as does Canada, Germany, Australia and the UK and the US.