Elizabeth Watson-Brown (Ryan, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I speak in support of the very important motion brought by the member for Curtin to this place—and which was moved by Senator Thorpe in the other place. The failed attack in Boorloo/Perth on an Invasion Day rally was an attempt to kill First Nations people—it was attempted murder; let's not mince words—and it needs to be taken incredibly seriously by authorities, by politicians and by the media. I—and I would assume all of us—am hugely grateful that the device didn't detonate. But the intent was crystal clear: this was an attempted terror attack. The definition of terrorism is a violent attack attempting to sow hate and division. That was clearly what the Boorloo Invasion Day attack was. We must reject that division and come together to take care of each other and show solidarity with our long-suffering First Nations brothers and sisters.

The significance of this attack on 26 January—on Invasion Day, a day of mourning for First Nations people around the country—cannot be overstated. For decades, First Nations people and allies have marched peacefully on 26 January to mark that day of mourning, and they've been attacked and criticised for it by many politicians and much of the media. This thankfully unsuccessful terrorist attack is a major escalation, and it should be treated as such. The initially muted response from the major party politicians and the media is nothing less than shameful, offensive and irresponsible. The same voices that are ignoring and turning a blind eye to the fundamental historic and ongoing violence committed against the First Nations peoples of this country since colonisation and the embedded institutional racism, the reason we march together on 26 January, are also ignoring this attempted terror attack.

Amnesty International Australia, and many other groups and organisations and legal experts, has condemned the attack at the Boorloo Invasion Day rally on 26 January and has called on the WA police and the government to conduct a proper investigation of this as a hate crime, with charges that properly reflect the severity and the intent of the alleged conduct. Amnesty International reasonably asked the federal government to implement the Australian Human Rights Commission's anti-racism framework and expand the royal commission into antisemitism to cover all forms of racism and far-right extremism.

This was a targeted act of violence against a First Nations led rally and must be treated as a hate crime. Repeated attempts to frame or downplay the incident as anything less misrepresents its seriousness and risks normalising violence directed at First Nations people. This warrants a clear and united response from this parliament—from us. It's racism, plain and simple. It is hate directed at First Nations peoples in this country, and this hate is rising. We all must stand united against it.

See this speech in context