Ed Husic (Chifley, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Industry and Innovation) Share this | Hansard source

I would imagine that one of the freedoms we would like to enjoy is the freedom to not be vilified. A lot of people would appreciate that. The other thing they would appreciate is that, when we're debating this bill right now and when we've got a chance to make a change, it's not just powerful people that can get this protection but also minorities. I just want to make this clear to three people in the government. To the Deputy Prime Minister, I never want anyone close to him to be abused the way that they were through social media. He got to go overseas and talk to people in the tech sector to try and address that on behalf of the people who were hurt. All we want him to do is to move a few metres to change this bill and to provide us with the protection from vilification. Deputy Prime Minister, I don't want your people hurt and I certainly don't want people of minority religions to be hurt. The member for Mallee who was affected by online abuse, who's not here, should not cop it, but neither should people in minority groups. They should not be vilified. Minister for Communications, is the only person who can get the benefit of your support Erin Molan? I don't want her or anybody close to her abused, but I want to know: are you going to step up to ensure that people aren't vilified?

These are the choices you can make but, in this case, you won't make. It then begs the question: why are you doing this if you are not putting in fair dinkum protections? I've got to tell you, Liberal Party: this isn't just a matter of doing the right thing; you need to atone, and you know exactly why. It's because in three consecutive elections faith was used as a political weapon: in 2004, we know about that one—and, by the way, in 2004 I was going for a job and I experienced a bit of religious discrimination, I can tell you! In 2007 there was the circulation of those pamphlets in the electorate of Lindsay. And in 2010 you pre-selected a candidate that you knew had anti-Islamic sentiment, and, through the pre-selection process, you in effect said, 'You're not going to say anything, are you?' and they said, 'No, we won't,' and then they did. Three elections in a row!

I know your party has come a long way, but the journey has not ended. The test is now. Will you make sure, for minority groups, that they will not be vilified? That is the test, and that is what we think is missing. You started the job in the speech by the Prime Minister, but you didn't finish the job in the bill that was referred to by the Prime Minister that we're debating now and seeking to fix. You have got to fix it. You cannot have a standard that provides protection for the powerful and well-connected and not for the people who don't have access to that support.

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