Nita Green (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It has been a difficult week for members of the LGBTIQ community in this country. It has been difficult, as a queer person in this parliament, to watch anti-trans speakers with neo-Nazi links be supported by members of the Liberal Party in Victoria and also here in Canberra. It's been difficult to hear a national debate this week, but we know this has been building for many months, because the Liberal Party of Australia and their leadership—Mr Peter Dutton and, yes, Senator Simon Birmingham—are desperate for you to believe that it works like this: that somehow you have transphobes over here who are accusing gay people of grooming children; that in the middle you have neo-Nazis, who are using violent extremism to attack vulnerable people; and over there we have people who support the Russian invasion of Ukraine—and all of these ideas are separate.

But can I tell the Liberal and National parties of this country that the Venn diagram of these issues and these people is a circle, and you are in the middle of it. That is because you are supporting people like Senator Antic, Senator Rennick and Senator Claire Chandler and people who are trying to get Moira Deeming back into the party. Spewing this division and hate is not the way forward for our country. If the Liberal Party of Australia won't stand up against these foul attacks on vulnerable Australians, then we will. The queer community and the politicians that stand with them have a direct message for these people: our lives, our bodies, our families are not for you to weaponise for your political purposes, and it has to stop.