Lisa Singh (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Shadow Attorney General) Share this | Hansard source

We know that the far-right of the government are the ones who are in control today. We know that Malcolm Turnbull, the Prime Minister, has no control over the government that he leads. In fact, it is the Cory Bernardis of this world who are running the show, because the Prime Minister, in requesting an investigation into a program helping LGBTI students, is showing his true colours. They are not the colours of tolerance, they are not the colours of inclusiveness and they are not the colours of diversity. They are the colours of supporting right-wing ideology—that of Cory Bernard, which we know is incredibly homophobic because he has made that very clear on so many fronts before.

Yet when my colleague Senator Dastyari asked Senator Brandis, the Leader of the Government in this place, whether he agreed that the Safe Schools program has perfectly reasonable objectives, as Senator Birmingham has said, he said yes. When again he was asked if he agreed with Senator Ryan, who said when launching the Safe Schools Coalition that 'every student has a right to feel safe at school', he also agreed. On the one hand you have the Leader of Government here in the Senate agreeing to the basis of the Safe Schools program and the Prime Minister of the day doing something completely different and completely undermining it.

Where are we at? Who are we to believe? Are we to believe Senator Brandis or are we to believe the Prime Minister? Are we to believe Senator Bernardi or are we to believe Senator Scott Ryan? They are all over the place. Who is to know who and is to believe what? The Australian people are completely confused on what this government is about and it is not just in the space of looking at this particular program; however, I highlight this program because it is an absolute disgrace what this government and this Prime Minister has done by wanting to have an investigation. If you want to have an investigation, why not have it on something that actually needs it and on something important?

This program is doing its job effectively. The Safe Schools Coalition Australia's government website makes that very clear. It says that almost 500 schools have opted into the program and more than 15,000 teachers have accessed its tools and resources. It is doing its job. It is the only program of its kind in this country. Yes, it was set up by a Labor government. It is doing its job to break down intolerance of diversity in our schools and provide support to end bullying and victimisation as needed.

Senator Bushby interjecting—

What is needed, if we are going to have investigations—and Senator Bushby would be well aware of this as a motion on this went through this place this week having been moved by me and Senator Nick McKim—is an investigation into Tasmania's wilderness World Heritage area. That is something that this government did not oppose. That is an investigation worth having—looking at the effects of climate change and global warming on wildfires in our wilderness World Heritage area. Why not invest your resources where they are needed rather than attacking an important program that is doing its job so effectively and so well? And, as I said, it was made very clear by Senator Ryan that every student has the right to feel safe at school and that is exactly what this program addresses. That is what he said at the launch of the Safe Schools Coalition back in 2014.

It is clear to me that the only reason why the Prime Minister would want to have an investigation into a very successful taxpayer funded program that is supporting LGBTI school students is to appease one person—or maybe a couple who are part of his cabal—and that is Senator Bernardi. Who is running this government? Is it the far right of the Liberal Party? Is it the Senator Bernardis of this world? Or is it the Prime Minister? No-one has any faith at the moment in the Prime Minister's ability to run this country. Everything that this government is doing is a shemozzle. It is all over the place. This investigation into the Safe Schools program is just another example of that. Labor will stand by this program. We will stand by the right of children to go to school and not be bullied and not be intimidated like this by Senator Bernardi. (Time expired)