Cory Bernardi (SA, Australian Conservatives) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

(1) That the Senate notes:

(a) the auspicious date of 15 October 1529 on which the Ottoman Empire's Siege of Vienna was broken;

(b) that, despite the lifting of the Siege of Vienna, violence and oppression against liberal-democracy and other faiths by Islamists has continued into our own time; and

(c) the creation of the croissant by the coffee houses of Vienna to celebrate the defeat of the Army of the Crescent.

(2) That the Senate calls on members and senators to enjoy a croissant with their coffee this week in solidarity with the defenders of liberalism and freedom.

James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Scott Ryan (President, Special Minister of State) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The government is pleased to note the breaking of the siege of Vienna on 15 October 1529 and is happy to encourage all members and senators to enjoy a croissant today, tomorrow and in the future in remembrance of this important occasion. However, to link this historical event to the present challenge of violent Islamism and the threat it poses to liberal democracies and other faiths is not accepted by the government. Violent Islamist extremism presents one of the most insidious and immediate national security challenges of our time, globally and within our own community. Over the last three years this government has embarked on the most comprehensive program of counterterrorism law reform in a generation to ensure the safety of the Australian people from terrorism.

Scott Ryan (President, Special Minister of State) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that motion No. 551, standing in the name of Senate Bernardi, be agreed to.