Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) | Hansard source

It was a great day. And in August of that year I took up my seat, right over there where Senator Canavan sits, and I was surrounded by Labor royalty: Senators Steve Hutchins, Robert Ray and John Faulkner. What a crew, the four of us. They were great times. Coming back to the questions that were asked by opposition senators, when I came here, back then, we saw the galleries full of schoolchildren, and you'd be thinking, 'Here's the next generation; what a wonderful feeling to be sitting in this Senate contributing to law and debate that will affect, more so than us now, the generations to come.' I was so thankful to be a part of that.

But I do want to say this. For the last few years, in particular, in this building I've noticed—and I don't know if it's me losing my shine—that some of the commentary and some of the contributions in this chamber are not worthy of people who have been elected to be senators, in my humble opinion. We talk about bringing Australians together. And I believe I can say this without any fear or favour: there is not one senator in this building—well, I hope not—who sat and watched TV back in October of the year before last without feeling sick, when we saw what was happening in Israel. I'd also say that I would hope that not one senator in this building could ever sit back and not feel sick watching what's going on in Gaza and in Israel now. We must also remember this. Some of the commentary that I've heard come from the odd Greens senator in this building is nothing short of vile.

There are families here in Australia who are affected by this conflict on both sides of the argument—the Israelis and the Gazans. I think to myself, about these senators spilling out this spew and bile: how do some of them even sleep at night? Not only that, but I think children and other Australians look to their parliamentary leaders and think, 'These are the people making the laws, whether we agree with them or not, but how are they performing?' It's no different from teachers and how the students look up to them—actually, probably it is a lot different—and in sporting groups with the coaches and the staff.

I want to apologise to the Australian people. I'm sorry for the behaviour of some of our senators in here. They can answer for themselves, Deputy President, and if I step out of line you will pull me in. It hurts me when I hear senators in here yelling into their microphones to protesters, 'Bring your anger when you go to Labor senators' offices or Labor members' offices.'

I come from a background, quite proudly, where I was a very balanced young truck driver. I had a chip on both shoulders—that's a joke, and I know it's not going down too well here. I have been infinitely photographed and quoted and I've been charged off to courts and all sorts of stuff because I believed in the right to protest. But I also believe in the right to protest safely and the right to protest but never, ever to damage anyone else's property. Now we're seeing protesters—and I am not taking sides; I am absolutely in the middle here; the war is horrifying me—in masks in the dark of night, at two or three o'clock in the morning, spray-painting obscenities across members of parliament's offices and painting dummies of dead babies in red paint to insinuate that we're killing babies.

For crying out loud, there are some people in this building that need to really seriously sit down and have a good look at themselves. They think they're so clever that they're starting some form of revolution. In the household I was brought up in, let me tell you this, if my dad—God bless him; I wish he was still around—had caught me sneaking around at two or three o'clock in the morning with a mask on and spraying paint, I reckon he would have booted my backside from Langford where I lived all the way to Cannington Police Station. That's a long way to get a kick in the pants, I can tell you.

I urge all members of parliament—we will have our views, but in my opinion if you're pushing hatred and pushing violence—and I'm not looking at my colleagues over that side of the chamber—you have no right to represent anyone in this fine institution.