Matt Burnell (Spence, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes with great concern that:

(a) there has been a significant increase in far-right extremism and extremist activity in Australia and throughout many parts of the developed world;

(b) far-right extremism is often cultivated through its overlap with various conspiracy theories, which have become a common tool to radicalise individuals, especially through misinformation on social media platforms; and

(c) far-right extremism tears apart the social fabric of Australia's proud and diverse multicultural communities;

(2) acknowledges the vital work undertaken by agencies within Australia's national intelligence community, in cooperation with federal, state and territory law enforcement agencies, to identify and disrupt extremist activities and to intervene and assist those who are at risk of becoming radicalised or becoming further radicalised by hateful ideologies;

(3) condemns far-right extremist groups that presently operate within Australia that seek to promote fascism, ethnic and religious based hatred, and to recruit and radicalise others to ascribe to their malevolent systems of beliefs;

(4) affirms that the ideologies endorsed by right-wing extremist groups have no place in the Australian community; and

(5) commends the Government for taking the threat posed by right-wing extremism in Australia seriously.

I rise in this place today to lead the House's condemnation of far-right extremism wherever it rears its ugly head, whether it be within our borders or abroad, and whether the actors involved originated within our borders or were imported from abroad.

Far-right-wing extremism is one of the great existential challenges and threats we face in Australian civil society today, particularly in today's modern age—one beset by climate that is weighed down by post-truth politics and post-COVID lockdowns. As we know, far-right-wing extremism is a threat that is neither new nor uniquely Australian. The challenges our society faces from far-right-wing extremism are more than just existential in nature. The threat matrix it poses is very real indeed. It is a threat that is, however, manifesting itself within Australia in a number of different ways and through mediums that adapt rapidly at the pace of technological advancements, both for communicating with its audience and attempting to mask digital footprints from the prying eyes of the national intelligence community. It is an ever present threat to peace, order and good government, to constructive civil discourse and to those who find themselves targets of their fixation, whether that be the case because of the religion they follow, the colour of their skin, their political beliefs or the job or office they hold, they once held or they aspire to hold in the future. These factors and more can paint a target on the backs of individuals or entire sections of Australia's population.

I am grateful this motion is to be seconded by the member for Wills. The member for Wills is not only the chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security Committee but also the second-most authoritative Khalil on the subject matter; I'm sure the member for Wills would agree with me on that point. Taking top spot on that particular leaderboard is the Lowy Institute's very own Lydia Khalil, a subject matter expert whose book Rise of the Extreme Right is an excellent place to start for those who want to learn more about extremism and extremist ideologies in an academic sense.

Soberingly, far-right extremism has existed here and continues to exist in many guises. It's existed as posts on Telegram, inciting a call to arms and encouraging those viewing it to recruit from within the communities. It has shown itself steps away from the Victorian parliament, where Neo-Nazis burned crosses and performed Nazi salutes. Such acts so overt in nature would have been unthinkable several years ago. Now, many groups have been emboldened to act with impunity out there in the open with disturbing frequency.

The extremism has even shown itself through the actions of an Australian-born man who took it upon himself to exact his twisted manifesto upon a community of innocent civilians at Al Noor Mosque in Christchurch on that one fateful day in March 2019. That day, one man, an Australian-born man, snuffed out the lives of 51 people, left 40 others injured and changed the lives of thousands throughout New Zealand, Australia and across many other parts of the globe. What was once seen as being on the crackpot fringe of beliefs and ideals has slowly but surely migrated across to the mainstream of our society. Though far-right extremists are not a homogenous group by any means, the number of common denominators within manifestos and many groups' core beliefs is starting to grow. This has been the case in all pockets of the world in the post-truth era, but the commonalities have become more apparent after the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is a threat that is, however, manifesting itself within Australia in a number of different ways and through mediums that adapt rapidly at the pace of technological advancements, both for communicating with its audience and attempting to mask digital footprints from the prying eyes of the national intelligence community. In 2021, ASIO confirmed that right-wing extremism made up 50 per cent of its priority caseload. Many in the previous parliament saw it as a reason to act, but then there were others that felt personally attacked by the term 'far-right extremism'. We had, amongst others, the former senator Fierravanti-Wells even questioning the Director-General of Security on this topic.

Those on the other side of the chamber who identify as being on the conservative side of politics or right wing would know already that, in anyone's mind's eye when referring to far right extremists, they are not them. But those members and senators, like all of us, are part of the solution. We cannot tolerate— (Time expired)

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