Patrick Dodson (WA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Reconciliation) Share this | Hansard source

This could be a pantomime. This is a serious matter for the integrity of Australia. I stand in support of my colleagues Senator Wong and Senator Keneally in expressing concern about this conference, CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference, and about the standards that our leaders, particularly the Prime Minister, need to make clear when it comes to the participation of leaders from this place and other places. In the US, CPAC is an annual political conference attended by conservative activists and elected officials from across the United States. CPAC is hosted by the American Conservative Union. Now we have CPAC down under, with a conference in Sydney from 9 to 11 August.

What's this about? Is this a sign that our fierce Australian characteristics of independent thinking are finally capitulating to rejected offerings from overseas? There was a time when we were concerned about how our national discourse was informed. Now it looks like we're submitting to poisonous ideas without reflection. You can buy a Reagan VIP Freedom Pass to the conference for $599. No-one from Newstart will be there; that's more than their fortnightly allowance. The one-line blurb promoting CPAC in Sydney bills the conference as a chance to 'learn', 'have fun' and 'protect the future'. Learn—what are they going to learn? What do those attending hope to learn from right-wing proselytisers from other hemispheres? Why should our political discourse be polluted by imported poisons and propaganda? Fun—locked up in a conference room with a clique of visiting right-wing nutters who shouldn't be allowed in the country. Protect the future—God save us, if all of those that are in this bunch see themselves as our protectors.

Mr President, I invite you to go to the CPAC website and take a look at the line-up of visiting speakers. Some of them shouldn't be allowed in this country. They obviously have not come by boat! That should not be the reason for them being banned from coming here—they are more likely to fit into an 'intellectual terrorist' category than that of a tourist. Their demagoguery is a danger to democracy. Australia is so intent on protecting its borders from refugees, but how about protecting our borders from prejudiced zealots and intellectual terrorists? Why do we need to hear the US congressman with a questionable record, Trumpified and infecting Australian politics? And what's there to learn about right-wing Americans? Or why do we need to hear from someone who is promoted as a 'British political activist'—someone who is really a racist bigot? Don't we have enough homegrown fascists and fanatics? We already have too much homegrown bigotry and racism in our country. CPAC has taken to social media to defend their invitation to this man. Apparently CPAC is proud to have him at the Sydney conference, arguing that free speech is at stake here.

Like both of my colleagues, I am a strong defender of free speech, but, like my colleagues, I reject any right to hate speech. We already have enough homegrown bigots and racists in Australia. Extremism should not be allowed into our country. And if CPAC sees itself as the exemplar of Australian conservatism—look out, everyone. It's time for the Prime Minister to act on this matter, as it is a threat to our nation.

Question agreed to.