Australian PM moves to ban "imported troublemakers" who incite hatred

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has expressed "frustration and anger" at "preachers of hate " who come to Australia inciting hostility, saying he will move to ban them.

Abbott said on Sydney radio Wednesday that he wanted to set up a "red card" system to stop these "hate preachers" getting visas to come to Australia.

But he said it was unlikely that the system would be in place in time to stop an upcoming lecture being promoted by the radical Islamic political party, Hizb ut-Tahrir.

Hizb ut-Tahrir has planned to hold a public lecture in Sydney on Friday about the U.S.-led military action in Iraq and Syria.

The lecture, entitled "The War To End The Blessed Revolution", will focus on the West's role in attacking the "noble Syrian revolution".

Appearing on 2GB, Abbott was asked by host Alan Jones whether the government would ban the organisation, which advocates that all Muslim affairs be administered according to the Shariah rules.

Abbott said he shared Jones' "frustration and anger" but under the current laws, the group, which the prime minister declared was "thoroughly objectionable" and "campaigns against Australian values and interests", could not be banned.

But he vowed the law will change. "At the moment we can only ban organisations that engage in terrorism," Abbott said.

"Under the law that we are bringing through the Parliament hopefully before the end of the year, it will be an offence to promote terrorism -- not just to engage in terrorism -- but to promote terrorism. Then, I suppose, we have to have another look at Hizb ut-Tahrir to see whether they fall under the definition of promoting terrorism."

The prime minister said he could not see how Australia benefitted from "imported troublemakers" who stirred up the local community.

"The thing I do want to do swiftly ... is put in place a system whereby these preachers of hate -- such as the individual I believe is the top drawer speaker on Friday night -- are not allowed into Australia."

"Under the law, we are bringing through the Parliament (the Foreign Fighters Bill), hopefully before the end of the year, it will be an offence to promote terrorism," he said.

Hizb ut-Tahrir, which aims to re-establish an Islamic caliphate as an independent state, is already banned in a number of countries.