NSW Attorney-General Mark Speakman said the government is set on introducing a bill criminalizing the public display of Nazi symbols in order to “provide an additional safeguard to the existing protections in NSW against vilifying conduct,” Australian Associated Press reported on Sunday.

Under the proposed law, the maximum penalty for violators would be a $5,500 AUD fine ($4,151 USD), imprisonment for six months, or both. The bill was introduced by Labor MP Walt Secord, who has advocated for banning the public display of Nazi symbols for two years.

“Sadly, we are seeing a surge in far right-wing activity in Australia and overseas,” he said.

The bill would, however, permit swastikas to be used in historical or educational settings. This would include religious purposes, such as display by Hindus.

Surinder Jain, national vice president of the Hindu Council of Australia, said that due to a “superficial resemblance between the [Hindu] Sacred Swastika and the Nazi hate symbol of Hakenkreuz, faith communities have not been able to display their sacred icon in public for fear of persecution.”

A bipartisan NSW parliamentary committee in February unanimously endorsed a ban on the public display of Nazi symbols. NSW Jewish Board of Deputies CEO Darren Bark said the legislation “will ensure there is a clear distinction between legitimate and unlawful use of Nazi symbols. It is a much-needed law in our state.”