Mal Brough (Longman, Liberal Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Leichhardt for his question. The member for Leichhardt knows the Indigenous communities up in the cape and the Torres Strait. He advocates for them and wants to see a better future for them. With the recent media attention, he is no doubt aware, as everyone in this place is, that the use of what some people have described as ‘customary practices’ or ‘cultural practices’ as a defence is totally unacceptable in modern Australia. These are not cultural practices; if they have been, they have no role to play in 2006.

The Acting Prime Minister has written today to the premiers and chief ministers. He has outlined in that letter that this is a key issue that we collectively as a nation can deal with. We can ensure that all Australians are treated equally under the law and that no group can use ‘cultural significance’ as a defence and thereby get a lesser penalty for the rape of a 14-year-old girl.

See this speech in context