Tim Ayres (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Industry and Innovation) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—I move the amendment in the terms circulated in the chamber:

The need for the Australian Government and all political leaders to commit to tackle racism, including anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, the emboldening of the far-right and the rise of neo-Nazism and reject white supremacy and extremism as evidenced by the anti-immigrant 'March for Australia', attacks on Jewish and Muslim communities, the violent attack on Camp Sovereignty, and the racist rally outside the New South Wales Parliament.

I will make a few comments on behalf of the government in the broader debate. After what we have seen here over the course of the last 24 or 36 hours, I do think it is important that this chamber has something to say about the way that we, as political leaders, as the government and as senators in this chamber, should deal with questions of racism and social inclusion and how we believe that Australia is a pluralist country that incorporates people of all faiths and all religions.

The reason that the government's amendments are there is that we also believe that how we oppose racism and exclusion matters. I have seen the proposed amendments and the original motion. Not every MPI debate is of great importance, but I do think it's important that what emerges from this debate today is that we start to improve the standard of debate in this place and the way that we, as senators, engage with this set of challenges. I do think that there has been a lack of seriousness and a lack of responsibility about the way that we approach these issues. This was no better symbolised than by Senator Hanson's behaviour in the chamber yesterday and her refusal to account for that in the context of the debate today.

I have never been more horrified, in the context of a debate in this chamber, than when I heard what Senator Babet had to say as an interjection in the course of the debate. I say to people who pretend to be patriotic Australians and who wrap themselves in the flag: real, decent, patriotic Australians shrink from that kind of vileness. I have never heard a comment in this chamber more repulsive. It would repel every decent Australian, and it should be absolutely repudiated by every single person here. As I say, the way that we conduct these debates does matter. The way that we approach these questions matters. I think it was right for Senator Wong this morning to point to the way that Senator Cormann, when he was the Leader of the Government in the Senate, and Senator Wong worked together, whether it was in response to former senator Anning's revolting comments or in response to the Christchurch massacre. There was no equivocation and no mucking around. They were thinking about the interests of the Senate as an important democratic institution and coming up with a set of words that could unite Australians and send a message, not just to voters but to little girls and little boys at school, about what this place stands for.

That's why the government has moved the amendments in the way that we have. It is impossible, I think, for decent people not to commit to tackling racism, antisemitism and Islamophobia and to being concerned about the rise of Neo-Nazis, white supremacy and far-right extremism. The Prime Minister was right to say that not everybody who goes to a march has those characteristics, but those March for Australia marches were organised by Neo-Nazis, who were openly expressing, manipulating and using that platform. We should be opposed to attacks on Muslim and Jewish communities, the attack on Camp Sovereignty and indeed that outrageous racist rally outside the New South Wales parliament. It's not just about what the government does; it's about what each of us as political leaders do. (Time expired)