Mehreen Faruqi (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to move a motion relating to racism and Islamophobia, as circulated.

Leave not granted.

Pursuant to contingent notice standing in the name of Senator Waters, I move:

That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent me moving a motion to provide for the consideration of a matter, namely a motion to give precedence to a motion relating to racism and Islamophobia.

This Greens motion is not just a performative motion giving cover to Labor for the role that they have played in normalising racism and Islamophobia. The Greens motion actually names Islamophobia. It names anti-Muslim hate. It names racism. And it actually presents recommendations to tackle these issues.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Faruqi, I'm going to stop you right there. You sought leave to move that motion. Leave was denied. You've now moved your contingent motion. So your comments need to focus on why it is so critical that the standing orders of the Senate must be set aside to allow this motion to be moved.

Mehreen Faruqi (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We've just had a motion passed which has censured a senator for her hateful comments against Muslims. So this is urgent. There is an escalation and normalisation of anti-Muslim hate on our streets and in the media. Tackling Islamophobia and racism has been urgent for years—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Faruqi—

Mehreen Faruqi (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

but its urgency is so much—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Faruqi—

Mehreen Faruqi (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

more important now than ever before.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Faruqi, when I call you, I expect you to stop. Once again, I remind you: you've moved a contingent order. Your debate needs to focus on why it is so important that the business of the Senate be set aside to allow your motion to be moved. Please continue.

Mehreen Faruqi (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

President, moving this motion is urgent, right now, because what we are seeing happening on the streets of this country—the vilification of Muslims in this country—demands urgent action, and none is being taken. The motion is about taking urgent action to end the scourge of racism and Islamophobia.

Just last week, an Islamophobic white supremacist was arrested and charged with planning a terrorist attack on mosques in Perth, having already stockpiled ammunition and weapons. How did we come to this place?

In recent weeks, we have seen more and more Muslim women assaulted, violent threats against mosques and Islamic schools, and pigs' heads left at a Muslim cemetery. Over the past month, Lakemba mosque has received three violent, threatening letters. We need to act urgently to stop this. And that is what our motion is about.

These threats and attacks don't just exist in a vacuum. The prevalence of Islamophobic views in this country has occurred as a result of normalisation and legitimisation of these views by politicians from both sides. Something needs to be done about that; otherwise, this hate that I and my community face will always be there. Surely you can see that this is urgent and not just a performative motion.

Of course there's the outright racism of Senator Hanson and One Nation. It was on full display in this chamber this morning, with deeply offensive and Islamophobic comments made by Senator Roberts, who tried to explain the difference between 'good Muslims' and 'true Muslims'. Firstly, who the hell are you, Senator Roberts, to tell me about my religion? Senator Roberts should stay in his lane.

Secondly, we're seeing how urgent and important addressing racism and Islamophobia is. A point of order was raised by my colleague Senator Shoebridge to withdraw those comments, but Labor senator Sterle, presiding at that time, did not deem it necessary to call for a withdrawal of Islamophobic rhetoric. This is not just rhetoric. This is real for people like me and like the Muslim community in this country. It is urgent to address that. But we see this sort of thing happening in this chamber again and again, when those perpetrating racism and perpetrating Islamophobia face few or no consequences and those calling it out are shut down and silenced every single time. So don't tell us about the right to be heard silently in this chamber when you don't deign to give us that right to speak out on racism when we need to.

So, yes, this is urgent. The double standards that are used to allow anti-Muslim hate to spread, to be legitimised and to be normalised have to be addressed urgently. The hate is mainstream. This hate is mainstreamed when the Prime Minister states that he has 'nothing but contempt' for women and children stuck in camps in Syria, who are Muslim Australian citizens. It is on display when governments of both stripes scapegoat migrants for the housing crisis and the cost-of-living crisis, when the Liberals call for 'Australian values' testing of new migrants and when both major parties legitimise far-right rhetoric around mass migration and the supposed threat it poses to the Western world. This is what needs to be addressed. This is what will make a change. This is why it is so urgent. This is why we brought this motion on today.

We saw outside Town Hall in Sydney a couple of weeks ago the attacks by New South Wales police under a Minns Labor government on Muslims peacefully praying. How did we get there? We got there because anti-Muslim hate has been normalised, and that's something we need to urgently address. Anti-Muslim hate in this country is never treated with the same outrage, the same condemnation— (Time expired)

Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the question be now put.

Question agreed to.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that the motion to suspend standing orders, as moved by Senator Faruqi, be agreed to.