Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Senate will now consider the proposal, under standing order 75, from Senator Thorpe, which has been circulated and is shown on the Dynamic Red:

The need for the Government to issue an official response to the National Anti-Racism Framework by the end of the month, given this comprehensive and actionable approach to racism was handed down in November 2024 and the Government has so far failed to respond to or action the recommendations in the report.

Is consideration of the proposal supported?

More than the number of senators required by the standing orders having risen in their places—

With the concurrence of the Senate, the clerks will set the clock in line with the informal arrangements made by the whips.

Lidia Thorpe (Victoria, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That, in the opinion of the Senate, the following is a matter of urgency:

The need for the Government to issue an official response to the National Anti-Racism Framework by the end of the month, given this comprehensive and actionable approach to racism was handed down in November 2024 and the Government has so far failed to respond to or action the recommendations in the report.

On Sunday, at a peaceful iftar celebration in Ballarat, a white supremacist attacked Muslim community members, storming into the event, threatening children and throwing punches while yelling hateful, deeply racist abuse. Children who were there have since been too traumatised to sleep in their own beds. What did the police do? They gave the perpetrator a move-on order. This is one of the latest examples of rising racism and hate in this country and how it's not being taken seriously.

In the past few years, we've seen racism become increasingly vile and blatant. We've seen the Neo-Nazi attack on Camp Sovereignty, the white-supremacist bombing of Aboriginal people at the Invasion Day rally in Boorloo, threats and planned attacks on mosques and the horrific Bondi massacre. Racism in this country is everywhere, but Labor refuses to act.

This government has a solution sitting on a shelf, but, despite the frightening rise in racism, you have done nothing. Sixteen months ago, in November 2024, the Race Discrimination Commissioner handed down the National anti-racism framework, a road map for how this country can tackle racism. The work was funded by this government, and you patted yourself on the back for it at the time. The framework is based on extensive community consultations, hearing from those most affected by racism about how it manifests and what can be done to address it. It is an actionable framework, presenting 63 clear recommendations across areas such as law, justice, health, education, media and workplaces—including parliament as a workplace, of course. The framework provides a holistic, whole-of-society approach to tackling racism.

The government has been served the solutions on a platter, ready to go, but Labor has gone missing. It's typical Labor—happy to commission plenty of reports and inquiries to kick the can down the road but completely silent when it comes to taking action. That's what we have seen. Sixteen months after the National anti-racism framework was handed down, the government has not formally responded to the recommendations. There has been no acknowledgement of this piece of work at all, let alone any implementation or real action to address racism in this country. So much, Labor, for your commitment to tackling racism! Shame.

Lask week, a group of 12 fellow crossbenchers and I wrote to the Prime Minister, Minister Aly, the Attorney-General and Minister McCarthy about the framework, requesting an official government response by the end of March. My motion here today mirrors this request and couldn't be more timely. We know that the government itself perpetrates racism every day in this very place by shutting down women of colour such as Senators Faruqi, Payman and I and by enabling racism in the chamber rather than addressing it. Last week, you shut down a motion by Senator Faruqi and I calling for racism, sexism and discrimination in the Senate chamber to be addressed. What have you done? You've just introduced a racist migration bill that is blatantly Islamophobic and will prevent people whose lives are currently threatened by a war this government is a part of from being able to seek asylum in this country. Shame.

Today, we will see whether you will stand by a report that you funded and commissioned, whether you stand by your word that your government takes racism seriously or whether you're all talk and no action. It is a small ask—just, at least, respond to the framework's recommendations. It's not much to do, it's not hard, but it's something. Racism stops with me, but does racism stop with the Labor government?

Leah Blyth (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Defence Infrastructure) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I think I will start where I will finish on this, and that's that a constructive national conversation about racism should focus on strengthening fairness and opportunity for all Australians and not encourage narratives that pit communities against one another. The coalition believes that there is no place for racism in our society and that people should be treated equally and fairly no matter what their background is. We stand against racism. It is contrary to Australian values and the Australian dream. But we do not agree with the National anti-racism framework's sweeping generalisations, the divisive language and the attacks on Australia as a whole. Australia is one of the most successful blends of cultures in the world, and we should be very proud of the country that we can all call home. We have seen just this week the number of people who want to call Australia home. They are trying to escape their oppressive governments in other countries far away from here, and they look to Australia and want to call it home.

Since the 1950s, to the 1990s, this country has undertaken one of the most ambitious and successful immigration programs in the world. Millions of people from every corner of the globe have come to Australia seeking opportunity, freedom and a better life for their families. They've come here to assimilate. Migrants have built businesses, strengthened communities, enriched our culture and contributed enormously to the prosperity and stability of this nation. From our suburbs to our universities, from our hospitals to our small businesses, Australians of every background are working side by side and building a shared future.

So it is fair to say that Australians are appalled when racism occurs. There is no place for racism in our society, and no-one should ever be discriminated against because of their race. Australians overwhelmingly fight against racism because it runs directly against our country's core values of fairness, respect and equality. From an early age, Australians are taught the importance of giving everyone a fair go regardless of their background, ethnicity or religion. This principle is deeply embedded in the national culture and informs how Australians think about justice, opportunity and community life. When racism occurs, it is widely condemned because it violates the fundamental belief that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity.

Millions of Australians are migrants or the children of migrants, and communities from across the world now form an integral part of the nation's social fabric. In workplaces, in schools and in neighbourhoods, Australians interact daily with people of different cultures and different backgrounds. These everyday connections reinforce the understanding that diversity is normal, it's valuable and it actually strengthens our nation as a whole.

As to the problems with this National anti-racism framework, we have very deep concerns about this report because the framework tries to paint the whole of Australia as racist. We strongly oppose Senator Thorpe's motion because it describes this report as a comprehensive and actionable approach to racism, and in our opinion this could not be further from the truth. This report does not help social cohesion. All it does is foster division. It starts off with the quote:

Racism isn't killing the Australian dream. The Australian dream was founded on racism.

This could not be further from the truth. The Australian dream is a dream shared by people of all backgrounds, religions and cultures. The idea that you can work hard, get ahead, provide for your family, own your own home and enjoy a fair go is one that we all aspire to. To suggest that the Australian dream is founded on racism is an insult to every single Australian. The Australian dream has been built on ideas of opportunity, hard work, democratic governance and the belief that people can build a better life for themselves and their families. To define it through the lens of racism is to ignore the many values and achievements that have shaped modern Australia. The coalition will not be supporting this motion.

Varun Ghosh (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My starting point today is that Senator Thorpe, like me and all of those on this side of the chamber—and most Australians, I think—abhors racism and detests its power to destroy and its capacity to cause deep and lasting injury. Every Australian, no matter their race or religion, should be able to enjoy their life in any Australian community without prejudice or discrimination. We are debating this motion at a time when there are troubling portents in our society and around the world. We saw the attack on Indigenous Australians and their supporters on 26 January at Forrest Place in Perth, and we've witnessed a spate of antisemitic attacks across this country, including the horrific targeting of Jewish Australians on Sydney's Bondi Beach which left 15 people dead and dozens injured. We have witnessed the growth of Islamophobia, with women targeted by strangers for wearing headscarves or dressing in a way consistent with their religion, and we have seen Islamic leaders attacked in this country. We have seen Indian Australians, Asian Australians and African Australians subjected to racist abuse and assault from strangers on our streets. And we have witnessed Neo-Nazis chanting racist slogans on the steps of the New South Wales parliament.

In this parliament, we have seen the embers of prejudice come to life in Australia's political parties and in the contemplation of all manner of Faustian bargains in which opposition to racism may be jettisoned for political relevance or advantage. It is time—and this is the point I would like to make—for all of us to oppose racism in all its forms and to stand together and be united against the evil of prejudice.

That's why, Senator Thorpe, while I respect you tremendously, I think some of the criticisms you've levelled at the government are not well placed. I think the Australian people know and should have confidence in the Australian Labor Party's commitment to fighting racism. The Labor Party has embodied that creed for generations. It was a Labor government that abolished the White Australia policy and passed the Racial Discrimination Act. That legislation made, among other things, racial discrimination unlawful in Australia, and that was groundbreaking legislation.

That piece of legislation was also essential to the landmark decision in Mabo No. 1, which declared the Queensland Coast Islands Declaratory Act and the purported retrospective abolition of native title rights for the Meriam people invalid. It was a Labor government that paved the way for the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act and, following the decision of the High Court in Mabo No. 2, legislated the Native Title Act. It is the same Labor Party that has fought the coalition's efforts to weaken the Racial Discrimination Act and permit discriminatory speech in this country.

That commitment to equality is not just a matter of legislation for our party. It is no accident that the Labor Party caucus is the most culturally diverse to ever represent this country in this parliament. It's a caucus that reflects modern Australia, a caucus that is committed to fighting racism in Australia and a caucus that lives its values, that selects people from all different colours and creeds to be members of this parliament.

I also disagree with Senator Thorpe in relation to saying the government is doing nothing. The approach of the government to date has been multifaceted and is ongoing. There is a range of different measures, including funding for the Respect at uni report, which examined the prevalence, nature and impact of racism in Australian universities. It's been delivered to the government and is being considered. There's $2 million for the Australian Human Rights Commission's Seen and Heard project, supporting communities affected by the conflict in the Middle East. There is funding for the commission to deliver its antiracism campaign, There's Nothing Casual About Racism. There's a focused review of the Australian curriculum to embed antiracism principles in it. I will just pause on that for one moment. There are lots of things that the passage of a law can do. But, ultimately, stamping out racism in this country needs to be community based and it needs to start at a level of education.

The government has provided funding to the Australian Human Rights Commission to develop a national antiracism strategy, of which the national antiracism framework will be a part. That framework is an important and comprehensive document proposing reform across a range of different public policy sectors. It requires systemic change and reform. It is the kind of reform that the Labor Party delivers.

I will finish by saying that this is a deep and difficult challenge that's emerging in our society. It's not to say that it has not existed, but it's emerging in a particularly alarming way at the moment. In order to address it, it takes time and it takes collaboration. It takes nuance and it takes stamina. It is important work. It is important that it is done well. I'll close on the words of the Leader of the Government in the Senate, Senator Wong:

We have built this country because we have stood for unity, for a collective, for community and for values of acceptance and respect, values that are intrinsic to who we are.

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

Four hundred and seventy days ago, the Race Discrimination Commissioner launched the national antiracism framework, a road map for building a genuinely antiracist country grounded in First Nations truth-telling and justice. But 16 months later this is still gathering dust on some government shelf—no response, no action, no funding, not even a peep about this framework.

Racism in this country is more open, more vicious and more dangerous than I have ever seen. This month a white-supremacist terrorist was arrested after planning attacks on mosques across Perth. In January another white-supremacist threw a bomb into a crowd of First Nations people and allies. Mosques and Islamic schools are receiving increasingly violent threats. Overnight we learned of another attack on an iftar in Ballarat. Across this country migrants are abused and attacked. We saw the Bondi terrorist attack recently. This hatred is not confined to the fringes. Report after report documents the depth and spread of racism across our schools, our universities, our workplaces and our institutions. These are not isolated incidents. They are symptoms of a system that has allowed racism to rot and fester.

The framework acknowledges structural racism which operates alongside other systems of oppression. Its 63 recommendations called for action across sectors and institutions and for the embedding of antiracism work into and across government policy. The solutions are written plainly in black and white, yet Labor refuses to even respond let alone take any action. Perhaps that is because the problem is not only on the streets. It is also right here within these walls.

I tried today to move a motion marking the seventh anniversary of the Christchurch Mosque massacre, where 51 Muslims were murdered by an Australian white-supremacist. I asked the Senate to acknowledge rising Islamophobia. Instead, the minister stood up, attacked the Greens and whitesplained racism and Islamophobia to a brown Muslim migrant woman. This is where Labor is at. Labor and the coalition, just like One Nation, voted against the motion, and hearing Senator Blyth today you can understand why. The coalition has zero understanding of what racism is. Surely, they must live in another Australia to the one that we live in today. When you vote against confronting Islamophobia and you refuse to fund a framework that charts a path towards eliminating racism, you are the problem.

Fatima Payman (WA, Australia's Voice) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on this matter of urgency, and I commend Senator Thorpe and all my other colleagues for their tremendous efforts in calling out racism wherever it occurs.

I want to highlight a few things that have been said in the chamber. Senator Blyth—I guess she speaks on behalf of all the Liberals—said that the framework and the 63 recommendations that were put into the national antiracism framework commissioned by the government claim that all Australians are racist. Now, there's no truth to that, and I would put this question to Senator Blyth: have you read those 63 recommendations to even say that? Senator Ghosh used, out of the five minutes of his allocated time, the last 49 seconds to mention the national antiracism framework. That just highlights where this government is at when it comes to address the real crux of the problem and the real issues that are underpinning why social cohesion is where it's at.

As a visibly Muslim woman in parliament, I have a live target on my back. I know what racism is and what it feels like, and we've heard that it's not just focused on the Muslim community. We've seen, time and time again, the racism that causes division in our society. If the Prime Minister is so hellbent on addressing social cohesion, then he needs to appreciate and implement the national antiracism framework's recommendations. That's one of the simple things, making it mandatory— (Time expired)

Dorinda Cox (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to also speak on this matter of urgency. The government does not support this motion. Racism is an extremely serious issue here in Australia, and every Australian, no matter their race or religion, should be able to live their life in any community without prejudice and discrimination. There's no place in this country for racism, hatred and discrimination of any kind, and we unequivocally condemn it.

I want to echo some of the commentary from Senator Blyth that this does need to have a serious national conversation. That is exactly what has been missing from some of the contributions that I've heard here today. This matter of urgency has been brought today by Senator Thorpe. I agree with some of your commentary in relation to that, but the simple fact is that Australians deserve an honest conversation. Rather than the screaming and shouting and accusing and creating outrage that happens in this chamber, the Albanese Labor government is actually getting on with the work to tackle racism.

Lidia Thorpe (Victoria, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You've really sold out. You've sold your soul!

Dorinda Cox (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I don't know—you were heard in silence so maybe you could reciprocate that. I know you don't like me, but how about you give it a go just for today?

Maria Kovacic (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Thorpe! Could you direct your comments through the chair, please. Senator Cox, could you proceed.

Dorinda Cox (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Pull her up, because she doesn't like it when people interrupt her.

Maria Kovacic (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Cox, please if you would like to proceed.

Dorinda Cox (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

See? The suggestion that nothing has happened since the national antiracism framework was delivered is simply false. In October 2022, this government provided $7.5 million over four years and ongoing funding to the Australian Human Rights Commission to develop the National Anti-Racism Strategy, of which the framework forms a part.

The government is taking a multifaceted approach to tackling racism. We funded the Respect atuni report, examining racism in Australian universities. We funded the Seen and Heard project, supporting communities affected by the Israel-Hamas conflict, and we are delivering on an antiracism campaign that's called There's Nothing Casual About Racism. We are embedding antiracism principles in the national curriculum. And last week, this parliament commenced inquiry into racism, hate and violence being directed at First Nations people. That is looking at the rise of that. I'm a very proud member of this government, who worked on that piece alongside my colleagues in this chamber Minister McCarthy and Senator Stewart. We are also working collectively on this with our Attorney-General, who is a proud woman of Fijian heritage and our multicultural minister in Minister Ali. These are practical steps.

Let's not forget that this parliament returned earlier this year to pass the Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Criminal and Migration Laws) Bill 2026 following the horrific terrorist attack in Bondi. These reforms make it an offence to promote or incite hatred on the basis of race, colour or national or ethnic origin. It strengthens the bans on hate symbols, creating a framework for prohibiting hate organisations and introducing tougher penalties for those who abuse positions and influence to radicalise others.

That is real action, and that is what our government is doing. I will not cop any further senators in this place standing in this chamber and declaring that Australia is a racist country, full stop. Making those sorts of sweeping condemnations might create your headlines, but it does nothing to reduce racism and nothing to improve the lives of people who you claim to speak for. Instead of the outrage, try engaging seriously with the legislation that comes before us and put the work in. We see the confrontations; we see the disruptions, the stunts, the things that are designed to provoke a reaction and the speeches that denounce everyone else while offering very, very little in the way of solutions. It is politics built entirely around the spectacle that you want to cause.

Maria Kovacic (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Dolega, on a point of order?

Josh Dolega (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I just ask for the same respect that Senator Cox showed when other people contributed to the debate. She is a proud First Nations woman on her feet, contributing to the debate.

Lidia Thorpe (Victoria, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Good ally there, brother. Good ally!

Maria Kovacic (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I did call for order. Senator Cox, if you could please continue.

Dorinda Cox (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank my colleague. He is a great ally! The truth is that outrage is easy, but governing is pretty hard. Outrage produces some of the headlines, but governing actually produces results, and that is the difference in this debate. While senators want to come in and perform some of that outrage, we over here in the Albanese Labor government are doing the work. We're strengthening the laws against hate, we're investing in education and social cohesion and we're implementing practical policies that actually reduce racism. That work might not produce your viral moments and dramatic speeches, but it actually produces some real outcomes, and that is exactly what our government will continue to deliver while you're still shouting.

David Pocock (ACT, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak in support of Senator Thorpe's urgency motion and—

Maria Kovacic (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Could you please take your seat, Senator Pocock. Senator Cox, I'd ask you to withdraw that, please. It's not helpful to me to have that. Could you please withdraw.

Dorinda Cox (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Sorry—withdraw what?

Maria Kovacic (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Withdraw the comment that you made about Senator Thorpe, please.

Dorinda Cox (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I withdraw.

Maria Kovacic (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you. Senator Pocock, please continue.

David Pocock (ACT, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I might start again. I rise today in support of Senator Thorpe's urgency motion, and I thank her for her continued leadership on this. I repeat my calls for the Albanese Labor government to implement and fund in full the national antiracism framework. This is something that we should see from the government. We know that racism in this country isn't going away. When you speak to people across country, they will say that it is getting worse. We must change that trajectory. It's on all of us in this place to change that trajectory.

I spoke recently in this chamber about local examples of racism that First Nations people here in the ACT have faced, from vile comments directed at respected elders online, to young men being racially profiled and forced at gunpoint off a bus by police. But the racism doesn't end there. This week the parliament is considering legislation motivated by war in the Middle East—legislation that apparently wasn't needed in response to the war in Ukraine. We've passed legislation to combat antisemitism but not racial vilification. That remains parked on the Prime Minister's desk. The government has responded to the recommendations of the report by the Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, and rightly so, but not to the 54 proposals put forward by the Special Envoy to combat Islamophobia. This must happen, and it needs to happen with urgency.

The Islamophobia Register, which has been in operation for over a decade now, has recorded a steep increase in assaults, abuse and threats, based on reports recorded between January 2023 and November 2024. Muslim Australians here in the ACT tell me that they do not feel safe. Last year a Muslim leader in our community had her hijab ripped off her head in the middle of Canberra. This is completely unacceptable. Yesterday the Australian National Imams Council wrote to parliamentarians asking for our support next Sunday 15 March, the International Day to Combat Islamophobia. I responded to their request today without hesitation.

We need to stand together at this time of increased racism in all its forms. We need to lead with empathy and focus on what brings us together. Today Muslims are in the midst of Ramadan, with Eid approaching. Christians are in the season of Lent. Easter and Orthodox Easter will follow, and Jewish families will then gather for Passover. It's a reminder that, beneath our politics and our differences, we are bound by something deeper—our longing for meaning, for connection and for hope. As Desmond Tutu reminded us, we can only be human together.

Steph Hodgins-May (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This week the Muslim community in Ballarat, Victoria was subjected to a racist and Islamophobic attack. During an iftar dinner for Ramadan, a man declaring himself to be part of the far right forced his way into a gathering. He hurled abuse and threw punches. Members of the community were forced to restrain him, to protect their families. Children are now too afraid to sleep in their own beds. The police did nothing but issue a move-on notice. This is not an isolated incident; it is the latest in a string of Islamophobic and racist attacks in Victoria and across the country.

It is people in positions of power, people in this chamber, who are to blame for the climate that produces this violence. The Labor government's racist agenda is plain to see. They continue to sit on the national antiracism framework, an actionable plan handed to them a year and a half ago. This week, the Labor government is seeking to ram through legislation to prevent people fleeing violence from seeking safety here—brutal and cynical policy designed with One Nation in mind. By refusing to act while the far right grows louder, Labor is abandoning Muslim Australians, First Nations people and every community bearing the brunt of this racism and hatred. When Pauline Hanson's One Nation are allowed to spew their racist, bigoted hatred towards Muslim Australians with near zero consequences, it creates the conditions where this violence can occur. The far right hears these messages and feels emboldened.

To the Muslim community in Ballarat and across Victoria: you are valued, you are welcome and you deserve to feel safe. The government must respond to the National anti-racism framework, not at some point in the future but now, today.

Maria Kovacic (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that the motion moved by Senator Thorpe be agreed to.