Nick McKim (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We've seen a lot of the Australian flag recently. We've seen politicians wrapping themselves in it in this very chamber while spouting hatred and division. We've seen actual fascists and Nazis waving them at far-right rallies right around the country. We've seen right-wing media outlets pumping out manufactured outrage and culture war speaking points with the Australian flag in the background. Well, do you know what? They say patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel, and these people are scoundrels—each and every one of them.

They pretend to love this country, while, at the same time, they are trashing it and destroying it. They're cutting down our forests. They're poisoning our rivers. They're driving species to extinction. They're propping up coal and gas corporations, while the climate crisis turns the future of our country into ash. And, while they do it, they're calling themselves patriots and they dare to claim this country's flag as their shield. Of course we need a new flag for this country, but, for now, the one we've got should represent each and every one of us.

These people are succeeding because the major parties in this place have abandoned people. They've refused to fix housing. They've refused to tax obscene wealth. They've refused to tackle corporate price gouging. They've let wages flatline and costs explode. They've created a stagnant pond and, in that pond, the toxic bacteria of fascism are thriving. These people tell Australians to blame their neighbours, but this country doesn't belong to them. It belongs to everyone who loves this place and wants to see it flourish. The people who fight for multiculturalism, for nature, for forests and for species—they are true patriots.