Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a)   condemns the personal invitation by Senator Bernardi to racist Dutch politician Geert Wilders to visit Australia; and

(b)   calls on Senator Bernardi to withdraw that invitation, or, if not, for the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Abbott) to intervene.

Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—The govern­ment did not support the attempt by the Liberal Party yesterday to condemn individ­ual senators of the Australian Greens. Today the government will also not support a motion to condemn a senator of the Liberal Party. However, the government does not agree with the views of Mr Geert Wilders. The Senate has important business to get on with in the national interest and this should take precedence over condemning individual senators.

Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Stephen Parry (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for two minutes.

Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Contrary to what Senator Ludwig just said, the govern­ment did support the opposition's attack on the Greens yesterday, but it is dissembling from a very clear challenge to Senator Bernardi, who has invited this racist MP from the Netherlands to come to Australia.

Senator Bernardi interjecting—

Senator Bernardi is calling me disgraceful for making it clear that he did invite this racist MP from the Netherlands to come to Austra­lia. He should be taken on his own words on that. I read from the Spectator magazine where he makes it clear that:

After extending an invitation to Wilders to visit Australia, I took my leave en route to Brussels …

If his own comment is wrong, he should explain that to the Senate. Of course, we do not prescribe who does or does not come to this country, but it is a very different thing when a member of the Senate does invite to come to Australia a speaker of inflammatory and racist comments which besmirch Islam and besmirch people who practise their religion. The government has decided to support the opposition in defence of Senator Bernardi. That speaks for itself.

Question put.

The Senate divided. [16:11]

(The Deputy President: Senator Parry)

Question negatived.