Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

We're witnessing a terrifying resurgence of far-right politics here in Australia, and our polity is failing to adequately address the seriousness of the issue. Right now, there are literal Neo-Nazis marching through the streets with the approval of the New South Wales police, and not many people in this place, except the Greens and some members of the crossbench and a few lone voices, seem to be batting an eyelid. There are many who attended the so-called March for Australia in August and who want to downplay the fact that that event platformed known Neo-Nazis, white nationalists and others who are actively working to tear down the fabric of our society—those very same people who stormed Camp Sovereignty, a peaceful First Nations meeting place, ambushing and assaulting people in the most disgusting display of white supremacy and racism; those very same people who are parading through our streets chanting slogans associated with the Hitler Youth.

Racism against migrants and people of colour in this country is not new, but it has been blatantly normalised and legitimised, and pretending that we don't see it only allows it to continue, especially while politicians and parts of the media gleefully fan the flames of hate and foment right-wing extremism. It's up to us to ensure that marginalised communities do not pay the price—that they are not persecuted, demonised or blamed for the problems of the day. It is up to all of us to remind people that it's billionaires and big corporations making life worse for all of us, not migrants, not people of colour and not First Nations people. It's billionaires like Rupert Murdoch, whose media empire exists to create division and dollars for him. It's billionaires like Gina Rinehart who want to pay workers less or Clive Palmer, who refuses to pay his workers at all. It's the same billionaires that delight in hosting right-wing politicians like Senator Hanson on holiday in Bali or partying with President Trump.

Cynical politicians like Senator Hanson are working hard to attract votes with unfounded racist attacks based on where people were born or the colour of their skin. But the Greens know that it is inequality and not immigration that people should be angry about. It is inequality that allows racism to flourish, but people of colour are not responsible for a system that keeps the rich rich and that screws ordinary people. We need everyone in this place and in our communities to face down the rise of the far right and turn that blame towards the big corporations and the billionaires who are actually responsible for making life harder for all of us and the politicians who refuse to fix the system so that people can have their everyday needs met.