Lidia Thorpe (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

These include big, nationally significant stories like the absolutely and totally barbaric conduct of the Australian elite SAS and the horrific war crimes they committed in our name. These laws will also have a chilling effect on activists and grassroots communities—activists like the thousands upon thousands of people who stand up in cities all around this country to say that Black Lives Matter, the grassroots mob who rally and shut down cities every Invasion Day, reminding you all that we are still here and, until you do the right thing by us, we will keep on demanding our rights. How fragile the Minister for Home Affairs is, that he would rather stop brave whistleblowers from speaking out and protecting the public's right to know. This is while the minister talks big on the freedom of speech.

For this government, freedom of speech means freedom to say only the things that this government agree with, or else they will send ASIO to spy on you, intimidate you and question you. These laws could also see journalists jailed for five years if they refuse to reveal their sources. Think about that: this government is happy to threaten journalists for refusing to reveal sources. Does that not look a bit like dictatorship?

The Minister for Home Affairs and his little Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs are happy to drive us to a police state and are hoping no-one will notice. These two fragile men with big egos are now using these laws to threaten anyone they're scared of.