Patrick Dodson (WA, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders (Senate)) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Minister for Small and Family Business, Skills and Vocational Education (Senator Cash) to a question without notice asked by Senator Dodson today relating to a vote on a motion concerning anti-white racism.

When I was a boy I grew up with the slogans whereby white folks were referred to as 'merinos'. That meant that they dominated the land and they took control of the best pieces of land, and that particular activity was known as 'peacocking'. So, they stole the best pieces of land from the Aboriginal peoples. It seems that we haven't moved very far in terms of this notion of greed that underpins racism.

What is the problem with being white? What is the problem? You have privilege. You have influence. You control every strata of life where we as First Nations exist—our social, our religious and our economic positions. And you've been in control of these lands and these waters and have managed them for the last 200 years. So, what's your problem? Over this time you have sought, through your policies, to exterminate the First Nations people, who happen to be different in colour from your whiteness. As I've said, you've managed every activity of our life, through policies and practices, if not of the gun then of bureaucrats and police. You've usurped our sovereign lands, and the waters, and you continue to deny us a rightful place in the Constitution of this nation. So, what's your problem? You've got the power, you've got the influence, you've got the status and you've got the might, and you say you're being discriminated against.

Well, join my side of the tracks, where we're the most poverty-stricken group in the country. We're the most incarcerated group in the country. Our kids are being taken off us and being put out into out-of-home care with the hope they'll be fostered out to white folks. We're people who are denied our rightful place in this country at every point. When it butts up against the multinationals, you amend the Native Title Act to suit the corporates. And you say you're disadvantaged and that you're being discriminated against. Well, join my side of the tracks and you'll find out what that means.

This is not really a question of colour. This is not a question of black and white. We're human beings. Maybe you want to study that a bit, and find out from people who understand that we come from one set of genes, with variations in our cultures, our customs and our practices. There's no superiority in white or black. We're human beings. And the day you want to become an Australian, then start to learn from the First Australians how to live in this country.

The act of government senators yesterday in support of this slogan by white supremacists really happened not because of a staffer who they tried to condemn and not because of some overworked senators who have responsibility for government business in the Senate. Let me suggest: it comes from being privileged. It comes from being privileged and allowing greed to reign. It comes from being white being synonymous with privilege and power. That's what has to be taken stock of, if we're ever going to lead to fairness for the rest of the nation's populations.

As I've said, the First Nations are poverty-stricken, powerless, overincarcerated and do not live with privilege or opportunities to exercise a voice in these halls of power and fame. If you want to fight racism—and I really doubt whether you do after this performance and previous performances going back to the last Prime Minister—you have to do something about greed and power. You definitely do. Take stock of it. You're leading the country nowhere, from a civil society point of view. You can argue about economics, but from a civil society point of view you're not contributing to the building of this nation as a coherent, social, civil society. You're seeking to drive wedges and drive further discord and division amongst people who are honest and fair in the main, and you'd do that on the basis of colour. I condemn you for it. You use power so well, not just to send a dog whistle; you actually had a bull's roar in here. It's not a dog whistle— (Time expired)

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Cash gave a very sensitive answer to the question that was posed to her earlier in question time. Let's be very clear in this debate. There is the suggestion that we on this side are somehow racist, but we were the first party to endorse and have elected to this parliament somebody from the First Nations—namely, former senator Neville Bonner. This just destroys Senator Dodson's political argument. And it is a very political argument that is not based on the evidence.

We then move on to ask: which party provided the first Indigenous minister of the Crown in the federal parliament? Well, it's Minister Wyatt, from Western Australia. Yet, somehow, we are trying to discriminate against the First Nations people when we have embraced them into our party, endorsed them and, indeed, ensured that they are part and parcel of mainstream democracy in Australia. I would invite Senator Dodson to listen to a former president of the Australian Labor Party, Mr Mundine, who has a lot of things to say about the sort of politics and rhetoric in which Senator Dodson has just engaged. It is not assisting the Indigenous community or in building bridges between the various communities within Australia. I would also invite him to listen to the Indigenous councillor, the Country Liberal Party candidate for the seat of Lingiari, Councillor Jacinta Price. She has also spoken very strongly about the sort of divisive rhetoric that Senator Dodson engaged in and which is not helpful.

Let there be no doubt that this country has to continually deal with the legacy of white settlement and the impact that it has had on the Indigenous community, but it's not assisted by the sort of language that was unfortunately used by Senator Dodson. I would just invite him to come with us on the journey of seeking, for example, to engage the Indigenous community with education, because, within the Indigenous community, if people have achieved a certificate IV, then in relation to matters economic and being part and parcel of mainstream society it is very difficult to show that there has been discrimination. That is part and parcel of the work that Andrew Forrest has been able to provide to this parliament on a number of occasions. That is why Minister Scullion, the Minister for Indigenous Affairs, is so anxious to ensure that we get our Indigenous community to have their children attend school so that they too can benefit from the economic wellbeing within Australia. If they are able to achieve certificate IV, they are well and truly on the track, along with every other Australian.

That is how we seek to address the difficult elements that the Indigenous community face. That is how one deals with these things, not by the sort of rhetoric, with respect, from Senator Dodson. That does not help the debate. That does not help Indigenous people to become part and parcel of enjoying all the things that we all, as Australians, ought to be able to enjoy. So I say divisive rhetoric does not help; practical solutions do. We on this side do celebrate the likes of former senator Neville Bonner, the Hon. Ken Wyatt, Country Liberal Party candidate Jacinta Price and, of late, Warren Mundine. (Time expired)

Chris Ketter (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

ER (—) (): What a regrettable contribution on the part of Senator Abetz to this very, very serious question. Now, Senator Abetz and those opposite really are taking the people of Australia for mugs in this whole exercise. To put to us that this exercise was just an administrative error really beggars belief. I would put it to those opposite to seriously consider that there is something wrong at the very heart of the decision-making processes of this dysfunctional government. For a government to pretend that there was an administrative error involved in supporting this appalling One Nation motion just beggars belief, and I'm sure the people of Australia will understand that.

What is quite clearly evident here is that this is a government which is totally driven by polls. It's quite clear to me that Mr Porter, in his decision to wave through the One Nation resolution, was really looking at the situation in his own seat of Pearce, where it was reported recently that his primary vote is down by 20 per cent to 26.1 per cent. One Nation is now looking at polling at about 12.6 per cent. So, is Mr Porter looking at that issue? That's what drove the government's initial approach to this resolution. Once again, it's a poll-driven response from the Prime Minister looking at the Wentworth by-election some days away and deciding now there's a reason to adopt a different position. This government is taking us for mugs and the people of Australia for mugs. So, perhaps the dog ate the Liberal Party's homework this morning. Maybe Minister Cormann should bring us a note from Prime Minister Morrison. But, no, it was Prime Minister Morrison who threw his Senate colleagues under a bus in what he said.

It's been pointed out a number of times that it was former Senator Boswell who really took a high road on this particular issue. In his valedictory speech he said that a defining moment for him was his tackling of the League of Rights—a far-right-wing anti-Semitic organisation which he saw as trying to exert influence over churches and other areas of society—and also what he described as the fight of his life against Pauline Hanson—Senator Hanson now. He said he risked everything to stand up against her aggressive, narrow view of Australia, and he defined defeating Senator Hanson and One Nation in 2001 as being his greatest political achievement. He made the point that you have to stand for something, and I think that's something that is forgotten by this government. They do not stand for anything. They're entirely poll driven.

The Prime Minister said it was regrettable that his Senate colleagues voted in favour of the One Nation, resolution, but he would say that, wouldn't he? This is the Prime Minister that voted against a banking royal commission 26 times—'regrettable but necessary'. How embarrassed Minister Cormann has been, delivering his mea culpa in this place today. He has been thrown under the bus by the Prime Minister—all of the coalition senators have been—and he had to stand and cop it. He mentioned conspiracy theories. We don't believe that there are any conspiracy theories here. This was a poll-driven response by this government, devoid of any values and principles. This is a government in its death throes. Let's be very clear about that. This is a government which is divided amongst itself, fighting itself and not focused on the issues.

What is deplorable to me is that the issue of racism should be something which is above politics. The alternative parties of government should join together and stand together against racism, and the fact that this government chose to turn its back on that approach is absolutely appalling. What we need to see is an election as soon as possible. Let's get rid of this rabble. We need to have a government which is up to the task of representing the people of Australia and making the decisions that the people of Australia require of us.

Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

One of the unfortunate challenges of the Australian Senate is that often statesmen in our community come to the Senate and succumb to the opportunity to be a politician. It's a great shame. Senator Dodson is someone from Western Australia, my home state, who is very well regarded and trusted across the Kimberley. He's a man of great eminence, and he's a true Australian statesman. That's why someone like me can't help but be very disappointed with the contribution that Senator Dodson just made, because he chose to be a politician and not the statesman that he is.

As disappointing as that is, I do accept that as we approach the end of this year, as we approach Christmas, unfortunately it does get a little bit silly in this place. As we approach the end of any parliamentary year, and as we succumb to the temptation to play politics in the lead-up to the next general election, I suppose it's beholden on each of us to think carefully and perhaps exercise greater caution when political opportunities like the one that we saw yesterday present themselves.

Senator Dodson stepped back from being a well-regarded Australian statesman to being a politician. I say that because of the evidence—two important sets of facts Senator Dodson chose to ignore. The first set of facts Senator Dodson chose to ignore was the set of facts that surrounded the unfortunate circumstances—and I'm a member of the coalition—of the vote yesterday in regard to a very bad, very unfortunate, very unnecessary notice of motion by One Nation. What are the facts in regard to that? The facts are very clear. Senator Cormann, as the leader of the coalition in the Senate, took ownership. He came to the Senate this morning and asked for the vote to be recommitted, meaning the vote was put again, and every coalition senator voted against that atrocious motion from Pauline Hanson's One Nation.

We took ownership of what was an error—not an error of policy, not an error of judgement but an error of administrative process. And I know that many Australians are not aware of the arcane nature of governing from the Australian Senate; they might not know what that means, but this is the point: coalition senators came back into the Australian Senate and corrected the situation. That's the first set of facts that Senator Dodson chose to ignore. He didn't even have the courtesy of reflecting on that in his five-minute contribution.

What's the other set of facts that Senator Dodson chose to ignore? Senator Dodson's contribution quite rightly pointed to the very, very serious disadvantage that Indigenous Australians face in our country. I know this. I'm a Senator from Western Australia. I spend time in the Kimberley and regional areas of my home state. I don't spend as much time in the Kimberley as Senator Dodson does, but I like to think that in my own way I, like him, am doing what I can be doing to draw attention to the issue of Indigenous disadvantage and improve it. So what is happening with regard to Indigenous disadvantage? I'll be the first to admit that we need to do more and that we need to act faster, and I've had lots to say about Indigenous health issues, particularly with regard to the explosion of STIs and HIV across Indigenous communities. There's always more to be done. But let's be clear, together, through bipartisanship, this parliament is doing the best it can do.

If Senator Dodson had chosen to be the statesman rather than the politician, he would have reflected on the fact that Indigenous child mortality has declined by 35 per cent between 1998 and 2016. The overall Indigenous mortality rate has declined by 14 per cent since 1998. Fewer Indigenous Australians are dying from chronic conditions. The rate of alcohol drinking during pregnancy has halved, and there's been a significant improvement in the proportion of Indigenous 20- to 24-year-olds achieving year 12 or equivalent schooling—up from 47 per cent in 2006 to 65 per cent in 2016. Like I said, there's always more to be done. And on the difficult issue of constitutional recognition, the coalition government has continued the process in an effort to bring Australians together on this. So, Senator McCarthy, your challenge is not to be a politician but to be a stateswoman. Over to you.

Sue Lines (WA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Smith. Senator McCarthy.

Malarndirri McCarthy (NT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

One thing that we've not heard from the other side is condemnation—not one word of condemnation against what we know in this Senate has been a complete focus on division and racism. There's been no word of condemnation from either of the senators on the other side who stood up to speak. Senator Abetz, no regret for the commentary that he made yesterday; no apology. I quote his statement to Fairfax:

While the motion wasn't as elegantly written as it could have been, this crazy notion that people of Anglo-Saxon descent can't be discriminated against because of their skin colour but others can is just strange.

Show some leadership. How about standing up and saying that conversation, which we all know Senator Hanson has form on, is not the kind of debate we want in this country. Show some backbone. Stand up and admit that, yes, it may have been an error on your part, but there has still been no condemnation for the very fact that the whole purpose of the motion was to divide the country. And guess what? That's what it's doing, and that's what it's going to continue to do throughout the rest of this day and in weeks to come. There has to be greater condemnation when these sorts of things happen, in particular from you in leadership, in government.

To stand up here and patronise Senator Dodson for reflecting on his history as a First Nations man in this country and the deep hurt, the trauma and the tragedy of First Nations people in this country is not the way to go.

You have missed the point completely again. You've been fooled again by One Nation, by this complete distraction dividing this nation, and none of you have condemned her for it. You take the road of condemning a senior Aboriginal elder, the father of reconciliation, who stood in this house to say to you that this is something that you can do much better. We know, as I said earlier in the house this afternoon, that it's about the content of your character. We do not want to see this country always focusing on our differences. Find out what it is that unites us as a nation. But come out and call it for what it is when those people stand up and seek to divide us by putting a wedge between all of us—to get our country all tied up in knots—over whether they're black enough, white enough, brown enough, short enough, tall enough, Christian or Muslim. Stand up and have some backbone. Show real leadership in condemning One Nation.

I see that the Minister for Indigenous Affairs has gone out in the media to apologise. I call on the Minister for Indigenous Affairs: don't just apologise out there; do it right in here, in this chamber. It takes a great deal of responsibility to be a leader in this country, a responsibility that all Australians expect us to take very seriously. For the Minister for Indigenous Affairs, and, as Senator Eric Abetz has mentioned, the CLP candidate for the Northern Territory and a Alice Springs councillor to come out so irresponsibly on this issue is a sad indictment for the people of the Northern Territory, a deeper disappointment for First Nations people in this country and certainly shows a real abrogation of understanding the importance of your role to represent in an appropriate, responsible and effective way that cares about bringing people together, not dividing this nation. I call on the Minister for Indigenous Affairs: come into the Senate and explain yourself to the Senate. Let us know in here what it is you really mean.

Question agreed to.