Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

Maybe it is because they have too many constituents who attended the Cronulla riots. I do not know. But, certainly, it is the situation that, for people who do not get their voices heard by those on the opposite side of this parliament, racial hate speech is real. It is real, it hurts and it is demeaning. The last thing this parliament should be doing is changing the law to allow more of it.

Those opposite claim that somehow the language at the moment just allows too much in. The Chief Justice of the High Court, Justice Kiefel, when she was Federal Court Justice said to offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate are 'profound and serious effects', 'not to be likened to mere slights'. Yet, if this government gets its way, three of those words will be gone.

Mr Tim Wilson interjecting —

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