Sydney Man First to Be Jailed Under New Nazi Salute Laws

A Sydney man has been jailed for performing a Nazi salute and publishing offensive online posts under new mandatory minimum sentencing laws.

Nathan Ballesty was arrested in December after the Australian Federal Police (AFP) launched an investigation into a post in which he called for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to be kidnapped.

After searching his home on Sydney's Northern Beaches, authorities found Nazi paraphernalia, including a uniform and a copy of Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf, and seized his electronic devices.

Among the content found on his devices were violent messages aimed at Mr Albanese and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, and a recording of a video call in which he performed a Nazi salute.

Ballesty pleaded guilty to performing a Nazi salute, as well as six counts of using a carriage service to menace, harass or offend and one count of contravening a police order after he refused to provide investigators with his device passwords for weeks.

On Friday, he was sentenced to three years' imprisonment — including a non-parole period of 18 months — backdated to January, when he was first remanded into custody.

The sentence includes a mandatory minimum of 12 months' imprisonment for performing a Nazi salute, making Ballesty the first person to be sentenced under the laws introduced in February 2025.

He will be eligible for parole in May 2027.

Ballesty's parents provided a letter of support for their son, detailing his lifelong struggle with mental health issues and social isolation and describing him as a kind, gentle and empathetic person.

They expressed that they wished they had been faster to recognise the risks associated with allowing their son to grow increasingly dependent on the internet.

His parents also noted Ballesty had embraced Christianity while in prison, and claimed he was "deeply remorseful and determined to live according to the values of his faith".

A letter in which Ballesty admitted to making serious errors and breaking the law, and apologised for causing offence, was also shared with the court.

Judge Mahony said while he accepted Ballesty was remorseful, the testimonials about his character were difficult to reconcile with the nature of his crimes.