Mehmet Tillem (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to address a pressing matter of public importance—that being the Liberal Party's determination to open the door to racial vilification in this country. I have a message for Senator Brandis: you should not be the cheerleader or the poster boy for racial vilification in this country, particularly under the unconvincing guise of freedom of speech. We have heard Senator Brandis claim this week that section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act fails to protect individuals or groups from vilification on the basis of race. This is not true.

We have heard that he intends to demolish this section of the act and, perhaps most alarmingly, that everyone has the right to be a bigot. Our history is littered with moments we can look back on and wish had not happened. This is one of those moments. On an issue as vital as this, it is critical that the government show some leadership. Perhaps Senator Brandis's comments were a slip of the tongue or a deliberate dog whistle to the ugly face of Australian society. Either way, Senator Brandis and his party have been exposed for what they are. They keep talking about an exposure draft, but they themselves have been exposed. They have been exposed as grotesque apologists for racial hatred and as defenders of racism under the thin and tiresome veneer of their misguided interpretation of free speech.

Senator Brandis's claims that the Racial Discrimination Act fails to protect people from racial vilification are false. Section 18C makes racial vilification unlawful. It provides those who need it a necessary recourse under the law. This is exactly what happened in the Federal Court case against Andrew Bolt a couple of years ago—he failed to take the opportunity to appeal that decision. Considering this, it is obvious that Senator Brandis has misled the Australian people. He has been condescending to senators who have asked legitimate questions about his intentions to dynamite section 18C, arrogantly acting as though anyone asking a question does not know what they are talking about. As the Attorney-General, Senator Brandis is the highest law officer in this country. He should not be fanning the flames of jingoistic nationalism and racism or offering platitudes to a handful of coalition sympathisers.

As someone from an ethnic background, from a minority and from a group that has been persecuted in this country, I know what racism is all about. Coming from Victoria, the most diverse state and place in the world, we know what it is like, but there are thousands upon thousands of success stories of multiculturalism which have undeniably enriched our community. The fabric they have woven throughout the community is strong and has endured. It is strong because it was woven through adversity. Language barriers, social exclusion and economic disadvantage were all mountains that people have overcome. Each fibre of this fabric is a testament to the challenges that these people have faced and overcome to make a better life for themselves. It is a story of determination. Theirs is a story of finding a piece of Australia through honest hard work and a can-do attitude, yet what Senator Brandis is proposing to do will unravel this.

Despite the shining success of Australia's multiculturalism and steps taken to reconcile our past with our first Australians, there are still disturbing elements of racial hatred in this country. It is incumbent upon this parliament—this Senate and those in the other place—to show leadership. That is not what has come from those opposite. Racial vilification is intellectually flawed, morally bankrupt and socially divisive. Australia deserves better from this government.