Tim Ayres (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Trade) Share this | Hansard source

I withdraw that. I have to say that I withdraw unreservedly, but it is open to me to canvass what the various reasons are for this kind of damaging misinformation and disinformation being propagated. It has a serious effect, and we see that, where there is extremism, there is a reason why the ASIO director-general highlights the role of extremist misinformation and disinformation in terms of its corrosive effect. It does lead to some of the acts of violent extremism here and overseas, motivated by the same vile conspiracy theories that we've just heard and that are supported by some of these characters here.

The problem, really, for the Liberal and National parties on this is how much they continue to tolerate it. It's all the pats on the back for the extremists. It's always: 'Yes, don't worry. That's just Senator Roberts. You know, he and his cooker associates—that's just them. Don't worry about it.' But every time they do that, they support extremism—