Ann Sudmalis (Gilmore, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I will be very brief on this. I have not changed my commitment to vote yes on the ultimate putting of this bill before the House. I know that this is very, very important to a huge number of people, including my daughter, who is actually live streaming right now.

There is a reason here to have a bit of an olive branch for the 38 per cent of Australians who voted no. This particular amendment alleviates some of the fears that some of those 38 per cent of people have expressed. Whilst some people don't believe that it's the right thing to do, it is part of the nurturing and healing that we as parliamentarians will need to do after this vote has gone through. Thirty-eight per cent of Australians feel betrayed right now and want to have that fixed, in the same way that most of the audience felt betrayed before the vote. We need to come together and work together, and this amendment addresses a lot of the fears that have come through in emails to me and, undoubtedly, to some of my colleagues. These people need to know that they're protected.

I bring to you a story that may or may not have relevance. If we teach that difference is acceptable, we're pointing out that difference exists, and, in the game of equality, that's not your foundation stone. When one of my children was young she was attending a very Caucasian school, and there were three young girls there from another place. One day, one of those girls was bullied by another child, so the school decided to have an antiracism strategy within their school. My daughter, having never acknowledged that this other girl was different, came home and said, 'Mum, guess what: she's different to me.' In the days of equality, we should not be pointing out difference; we should be working together and saying, 'We are one.' This amendment is trying to address that, so I will be supporting this amendment, but it doesn't change my reflection of the national vote and that of the electorate of Gilmore. I will vote yes to the bill.

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