Nick McKim (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

Just for clarity, I was not suggesting that those were the words Senator Paterson used. I was translating his words, to put them into a more accurate frame. The issues here are too lengthy for me to canvass fully and I am already slightly over my time to speak, given the informal arrangements that have been made. But I want to say, in concluding my contribution today, that I challenge those who want to weaken or abolish section 18C to accurately state the actual things that they would like to be able to say, or would like to allow others to be able to say, that they cannot say now but could if the reform came in. Let's hear what racist things they would like Australians to be able to say. I want to know how much further they want to poison Australia's political conversation with speech made in bad faith. As I have said before, the only plausible answer is that they want to unleash more racism and bigotry at this time, when around the world we are seeing an incredibly disturbing rise in racism and bigotry. You only have to look at the spike in race-based attacks since Donald Trump was elected as President-elect of the United States to see how threatening times are becoming.

Protections against hate speech and intimidation are fundamental parts of pluralist Australia and one of the reasons we have largely been a very successful multicultural nation. So let's not wind the clock back now. Let's not go back towards white Australia. Let's stand firmly in support of, in defence of and for the enhancement of the beautiful multicultural society that Australia is. Let's stand strong against weakening section 18C or abolishing it, which would simply provide more opportunities for racist hate speech in this country.