Sydney Man Jailed 3 Years in First Nazi Salute Sentence
A Sydney man has become the first person jailed under Australia’s federal Nazi salute laws. Nathan Ballesty, 28, was sentenced to three years in prison on September 25.
The NSW District Court imposed the sentence with an 18-month non-parole period. It includes the mandatory minimum 12 months for performing a Nazi salute. The laws were introduced in February 2025.
The Australian Federal Police began investigating Ballesty in December 2025 over a post calling for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to be kidnapped. Officers searched his Beacon Hill home and seized Nazi paraphernalia, including a uniform and a copy of Mein Kampf.
Devices held violent messages aimed at Albanese and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke. They also held a recording of a video call in which Ballesty performed a Nazi salute.
He pleaded guilty in May to the salute charge, six counts of using a carriage service to menace, harass or offend, and breaching a police order. He will be eligible for parole in May 2027.
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