The tough new laws – which passed State Parliament in June – come into effect today, bringing South Australia into line with most other states and territories.

Under the new laws, people found publicly displaying the Nazi swastika or performing a Nazi salute could be fined up to $20,000 or sent to jail for up to a year.

Defences exist for innocent uses – such as good faith use for academic, educational or artistic purposes, as well as religious purposes, where the swastika has long been used by Buddhist, Hindu and Jain faiths as a religious symbol of peace.