George Christensen (Dawson, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

'We swear by the Southern Cross to stand truly by each other and fight to defend our rights and liberties.' That is the diggers' oath, the oath taken by Australians in the gold mining town of Ballarat before they took a fateful stand against tyranny in what we now know as the Eureka Stockade, or the Eureka Rebellion. This past weekend, men and women across this country took another stand against tyranny. Just like at Eureka, the authorities disgracefully responded with guns, and Australians were fired upon. For them and many others across this nation, I want to say I stand truly by them to fight and defend their rights and liberties. We have had enough of all of the restrictions. The restrictions haven't stopped the virus, and they won't stop the virus. Australia will have to live with COVID-19, rather than in constant fear of it. We, the people, want our freedom back. We demand that there be no more lockdowns. We demand that there be no more curfews. We demand that there be no more mask mandates. We demand that there be no more state border closures. We demand that there be no more privacy invasion with mandatory QR code check-ins. We demand that there be no more discrimination between vaccinated and unvaccinated Australians. We demand that our freedoms be restored. And I demand that peaceful protesters—patriotic, freedom-loving men and women—never be fired upon in this country ever again.