Varun Ghosh (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

My starting point today is that Senator Thorpe, like me and all of those on this side of the chamber—and most Australians, I think—abhors racism and detests its power to destroy and its capacity to cause deep and lasting injury. Every Australian, no matter their race or religion, should be able to enjoy their life in any Australian community without prejudice or discrimination. We are debating this motion at a time when there are troubling portents in our society and around the world. We saw the attack on Indigenous Australians and their supporters on 26 January at Forrest Place in Perth, and we've witnessed a spate of antisemitic attacks across this country, including the horrific targeting of Jewish Australians on Sydney's Bondi Beach which left 15 people dead and dozens injured. We have witnessed the growth of Islamophobia, with women targeted by strangers for wearing headscarves or dressing in a way consistent with their religion, and we have seen Islamic leaders attacked in this country. We have seen Indian Australians, Asian Australians and African Australians subjected to racist abuse and assault from strangers on our streets. And we have witnessed Neo-Nazis chanting racist slogans on the steps of the New South Wales parliament.

In this parliament, we have seen the embers of prejudice come to life in Australia's political parties and in the contemplation of all manner of Faustian bargains in which opposition to racism may be jettisoned for political relevance or advantage. It is time—and this is the point I would like to make—for all of us to oppose racism in all its forms and to stand together and be united against the evil of prejudice.

That's why, Senator Thorpe, while I respect you tremendously, I think some of the criticisms you've levelled at the government are not well placed. I think the Australian people know and should have confidence in the Australian Labor Party's commitment to fighting racism. The Labor Party has embodied that creed for generations. It was a Labor government that abolished the White Australia policy and passed the Racial Discrimination Act. That legislation made, among other things, racial discrimination unlawful in Australia, and that was groundbreaking legislation.

That piece of legislation was also essential to the landmark decision in Mabo No. 1, which declared the Queensland Coast Islands Declaratory Act and the purported retrospective abolition of native title rights for the Meriam people invalid. It was a Labor government that paved the way for the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act and, following the decision of the High Court in Mabo No. 2, legislated the Native Title Act. It is the same Labor Party that has fought the coalition's efforts to weaken the Racial Discrimination Act and permit discriminatory speech in this country.

That commitment to equality is not just a matter of legislation for our party. It is no accident that the Labor Party caucus is the most culturally diverse to ever represent this country in this parliament. It's a caucus that reflects modern Australia, a caucus that is committed to fighting racism in Australia and a caucus that lives its values, that selects people from all different colours and creeds to be members of this parliament.

I also disagree with Senator Thorpe in relation to saying the government is doing nothing. The approach of the government to date has been multifaceted and is ongoing. There is a range of different measures, including funding for the Respect at uni report, which examined the prevalence, nature and impact of racism in Australian universities. It's been delivered to the government and is being considered. There's $2 million for the Australian Human Rights Commission's Seen and Heard project, supporting communities affected by the conflict in the Middle East. There is funding for the commission to deliver its antiracism campaign, There's Nothing Casual About Racism. There's a focused review of the Australian curriculum to embed antiracism principles in it. I will just pause on that for one moment. There are lots of things that the passage of a law can do. But, ultimately, stamping out racism in this country needs to be community based and it needs to start at a level of education.

The government has provided funding to the Australian Human Rights Commission to develop a national antiracism strategy, of which the national antiracism framework will be a part. That framework is an important and comprehensive document proposing reform across a range of different public policy sectors. It requires systemic change and reform. It is the kind of reform that the Labor Party delivers.

I will finish by saying that this is a deep and difficult challenge that's emerging in our society. It's not to say that it has not existed, but it's emerging in a particularly alarming way at the moment. In order to address it, it takes time and it takes collaboration. It takes nuance and it takes stamina. It is important work. It is important that it is done well. I'll close on the words of the Leader of the Government in the Senate, Senator Wong:

We have built this country because we have stood for unity, for a collective, for community and for values of acceptance and respect, values that are intrinsic to who we are.