Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Hansard source

I'd like to just make a few comments in response to some of the comments that have been made during this debate. In particular—supporting the comments that Senator McAllister has made—our government has zero tolerance for hate and discrimination in all its forms. Senator Shoebridge, you might like to listen to this.

We are working towards building a safer and more inclusive Australia for everyone, and the opportunity presented to the Senate this afternoon is to come together and respond to what we saw on the weekend. It is to see what we saw on the weekend and come together, just like we did in the wake of the October 7 attacks and just like we did when Senator Anning made some comments that we, as a parliament and as a chamber, decided weren't on. Those opportunities were often led by Senator Cormann or Senator Birmingham, coming in here and working with us. The government and the opposition would work together to reach agreement on a position about the way forward. But what do we see here today? We see finger-pointing across the chamber—from down there to up here—and the stirring of social division.

It's in no-one's interest in this chamber to make a stand and say that what we saw on the weekend was very concerning, is it? We saw issues around housing and around our migration program being hijacked under the umbrella of Neo-Nazi far-right organisations. That is what we saw, and that is what we should be responding to. Instead, we have the Greens political party standing up here and pointing the finger at the government.

Senator Shoebridge, your comments were disgraceful. They do no credit to you at all. We see you for what you are. You are stirring the pot and trying, as usual, to make a political point when the point that needed to be made following yesterday was about the kind of country we are. Look at what happens.

You do it, Senator Shoebridge, and the opposition do it too. There was no attempt to reach agreement on what a motion might be like. I know attempts were made to work with the opposition about the way of dealing with this, and those attempts by the government to work together and reach an agreement on a position that this Senate could take were not responded to. Instead, we have finger-pointing from Senator Cash and Senator McKenzie, who are asking, 'What's wrong with our amendment?'

We have an amendment put before the chamber that is better than yours, Senator Cash. Yes, there are elements of your amendment that we would support, but ours is stronger. Our amendment incorporates other feedback that we've had from Senator Thorpe, and I flagged that we would be moving amendments to the amendment circulated by Senator McAllister to incorporate some of the points that Senator Thorpe has raised with us about recognising the harm that has been done to First Nations people and also acknowledging what happened when those in Melbourne attacked Camp Sovereignty yesterday.

That is the opportunity before the Senate. Can we agree on a way forward? It might not be what everybody wants in all places, but, honestly, can't this chamber be slightly mature today and believe in this country and the national interest as opposed to partisan political interests? We see it again in the amendments moved by Senator Cash for business of the Senate notice of motion No. 1 coming on later today. We see the legitimising of the pursuit of what was sought at the rallies yesterday into a reference to a committee. That is what you are doing, Senator Cash. You know full well what this is about. You, the opposition, a former party of government that had some standards, are prepared to trash that so that you can give air and time and a platform to the likes of what we saw yesterday. That is what you are up to—a party of government, a proud party that used to be—