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A known neo-Nazi facing criminal charges managed to infiltrate an event in NSW Parliament where he was given a platform to ask questions about the benefits of “supremacy” and “racism”.
Joel Davis, a member of the white supremacist group National Socialist Network, attended an event called “decoding decolonisation” from free speech group Western Heritage Australia in May in the parliament’s Jubilee Room, a heritage listed library built in 1905.
Mobile phone footage shows neo-Nazi Joel Davis speaking at an event in the Jubilee Room at NSW Parliament in May 2025.
Western Heritage has since scrubbed video evidence of the event from the internet, but footage taken from the crowd during the question and answer portion of the event and provided to the Herald shows Davis speaking behind a lectern with the NSW Parliament branding, asserting the benefits of “supremacy” and “racism” to scattered applause.
Davis is facing a charge of displaying a Nazi symbol in Adelaide, where he will appear before the courts on September 23. He is closely associated with neo-Nazis Thomas Sewell and Jacob Hersant.
On the panel were Institute of Public Affairs Director Bella d’Abrera, conservative writer Luke Torrisi, and Dr Frank Salter, a founder of the now-defunct far right political party Australian National Alliance. Salter answered the question from Davis by insisting Indigenous Australians “hit the jackpot” when Australia was colonised. This masthead does not suggest the panellists share Davis’ views.
So concerned was former Liberal turned independent MP Taylor Martin by the presence of neo-Nazis at the event, he pulled his sponsorship of the group. He said he agreed to assist the group with booking the room to facilitate free speech debates, but was shocked to learn it had been infiltrated by white supremacists.
He described Davis’ views as “abhorrent, offensive and plain wrong”.
“This person does not deserve to be given a platform to espouse hate – which is exactly what they seek – but rather, they need serious psychological help,” Martin said.
Western Heritage Australia has run round table debate events at NSW Parliament since 2006 on topics from mass immigration to euthanasia.
In response to detailed questions from the Herald, a spokesperson for Western Heritage Australia did not address the presence of neo-Nazis at the event. The spokesperson said the events canvass a “diverse array of important issues”.
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“We do not screen our attendees, with entry by donation, and operate as a platform for public discourse,” the spokesperson said.
Adrianne Jones, who describes herself as a Sydney feminist, said she bought a ticket with the intention of exposing neo-Nazi presence in the event, but says she was blocked from attending by a person providing “private security” and was escorted away.
The Department of Parliamentary Services refused to confirm if security was notified of the event or answer questions about whether Davis’ presence at the event breached any protocols.
The incident raises significant questions about whether individuals with extremist links should be able to freely roam the halls of parliament, Greens MP Sue Higginson said.
“The endorsed and hosted presence of neo-nazis, racists or others who are determined to exclude and divide our community is inconsistent with the purpose of the Parliament – that being the upholding of democratic values, peaceful debate and the administration of good governance,” she said.
“The Presiding Officers, the President and the Speaker should consider rules to prevent these events that encourage hate and division from occurring in our public Parliament building.”
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