Mike Kelly (Eden-Monaro, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Defence Industry and Support) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to discuss the rise of the extreme Right in Australia and their activities around the country. I have mentioned before an attack on my electorate office. There have now been three consecutive attacks on my electorate offices in Bega and Queanbeyan—based on the fact that my wife and son are Jewish—by elements of the Antipodean Resistance movement, who are flat out Nazis in Australia, who claim Nazis association and affiliation.

The first of these incidents involved placing a poster on my Bega office which displayed a racist image of a Jewish person, blaming them for multiculturalism in Australia and calling it 'Jewish poison'. That was followed by posting up swastikas on my Bega office and also on signs welcoming refugees in the Bega Valley. The final act happened recently, when the front door of my Queanbeyan office was smeared with pig's blood, and pigs entrails were spread on the front door. This has been very distressing for the staff, of course, and it is part of a series that fits in with a pattern of events that have been happening in this country.

In the last week we have had reports by Alex Mann from the ABC, who did a very good series of investigative activities that formed the background for Background Briefing. What was deeply concerning about that was the operation of these people to try and insinuate themselves into organised politics in this country and, in particular, their efforts to penetrate the young Nationals. These efforts were succeeding, and quite a number of them had gained membership of the young Nationals. I'm pleased to hear that the leadership of the Nationals in New South Wales is starting to take action on this. The Nationals need to do it, and they need to do it thoroughly and quickly. It is critically important that we are all vigilant about denying these elements the opportunity to insinuate themselves into our political processes.

These people claim to be defenders of our national heritage, and they'd no doubt salute the Anzac tradition. My family—my grandfathers, my aunts, my uncles—fought the fascists in World War II specifically to oppose the beliefs and ideologies of these people. That is the Anzac tradition. That is what thousands of Australians fought and died to defeat and preserve our country from.

I was disappointed to see pass today the opportunity for the coalition to argue in the House the motion confronting Pauline Hanson's disgusting effort to associate herself and signal to these extreme right-wing elements. There was an opportunity to take that motion, to debate it and to reinforce and make clear statements, as we did quite recently. I'd ask them to stand up and take every opportunity now to make the right statements and the right defence of our liberties. (Time expired)