Craig Kelly (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to associate myself with many of the wonderful speeches from both sides of the chamber made during this motion. It has been a parliament at its finest.

About 12 months ago I was in Martin Place on a Sunday. There was a rally for the Coptic community of Sydney. Their rally was against the violence and terrorism that their people were facing in Egypt. When that rally was completed on that Sunday, I went looking for a cup of coffee in Martin Place. One of the few places that was open was the Lindt cafe in Martin Place. I remember sitting down and having a coffee on that Sunday, reflecting on the demonstration and the speeches that were being made and how lucky we were in Australia that we had been immune to the violence and terrorism of other nations. And when I heard about the events that were going on in Martin Place, I could recall myself being back in that cafe about 12 months earlier. I could visualise the doors, the wall where the chocolates were lined up, the counter in the far back right-hand corner and the chairs where I had sat, but I could not visualise the terror that those being held hostage must have been going through.

By coincidence, about one month before I pasted a link on my Facebook page to the Lindt chocolate's Christmas commercial from 2012 titled 'A Christmas of love'. For those who have not seen it, it is set to the tune of Silent Night and shows the Lindt bear and a young girl. It is truly one of the greatest pieces of advertising I have ever seen. That is why I posted it on my Facebook page before the siege. You could not get a greater contrast than between the Lindt commercial called 'A Christmas of love' and those unspeakable evil events. You could not get a greater contrast with anything or anywhere.

Many other speakers have reflected on the I'll Ride with You Campaign. No doubt that was very well meaning but ultimately my Sydney, my city, proved it was unnecessary. Some people like to portray or think that Sydney is an intolerant city. On the day after the siege Sydney proved it was one of the most tolerant cities in the world. People of all faiths, religions and backgrounds came together with the floral tribute in the city and the many wonderful scenes we saw after.

I would also like to associate myself with the comments of the father of the House in this debate, the member for Berowra. In this time we should also reflect on what lessons can be learnt. The lesson that can be learnt is that when we talk about human rights we must talk about the rights of the community to safety. We should not be afraid to say that in this circumstance our bail laws failed. We should also consider whether we should ban the Daesh or ISIL flag. The libertarian in me has great difficulty in banning a symbol. If we think back to during World War II it would have been quite acceptable to ban the Nazi flag. I think in these times when we have Australian servicemen in battle against Daesh and when we see this group engaging in unspeakable evil, such as the beheading of people and burning of people alive, we could look at making the possession of that flag a criminal offence.

Finally, this parliament sends a message to the grieving family and friends of Katrina Dawson and Tori Johnson, sends a message to the victims of the siege who will for many years carry the emotional and physical scars of this event and sends a message to the brave police who stormed the cafe. We say that our parliament is with you and our Australian community is with you. We will stand with you.

Debate adjourned.

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