Brian Mitchell (Lyons, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

For the past few weeks a house in my electorate has been flying banners from its windows sporting the Nazi swastika. Neighbours are understandably outraged and have called on the landlord, the Tasmanian Department of Housing, to take action. The Tasmanian Premier, too, has expressed his outrage. And I join them all. Unfortunately, it seems the department has no powers to act. I don't know whether the person flying this material is evil, deranged, ignorant or some combination of them all. No matter the motivation, there is no place for the Nazi swastika in Australia.

I want to state my support for the Tasmanian government taking strong action against this tenant in order to get this symbol of hatred and division removed from our community. There is no room in this country for it. The head of ASIO, Mike Burgess, warns us that far Right threats are on the rise in Australia. We ignore this evil ideology and all it stands for at our peril. Nazis are enemies of democracy and enemies of our nation, and they must be dealt with swiftly and with resolve.

On a more positive note, I'd just like to congratulate the Westerway Primary School, which this Saturday will celebrate its centenary with a big fair day. It's free to attend. It runs from 10 am to 3 pm. Many thanks to Zelda Browning, Andrea Long, Wendy Holdsworth, Rob Clark and everyone else involved in putting on what will be a fantastic day in the valley. Saturday also sees the official opening of the 2020 Junior State Surf Life Saving Championships at Carlton Beach. No matter where you are in Tasmania on Saturday, it will be terrific.

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