Michael Johnson (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Attorney-General. Would the Attorney-General update the House on the government’s determination to fight terrorism, including those who urge the use of force or violence in the community? Is the Attorney aware of any alternative approaches?

Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You got it wrong, didn’t you?

Philip Ruddock (Berowra, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last year the government implemented the antiterrorism act and it included the offence of urging the use of force or violence against other groups of people in Australia—and I might say that measure was enacted despite the best efforts of the Labor Party to have it removed. As I have said before in relation to these matters, if the law needs to be further strengthened, that is what we will do. I have asked my department for some advice on that matter, in the light of some recent material about which it has been said that the measures that we enacted would not enable those publications to be dealt with. But one thing is clear: if the opposition had its way, there would be no laws dealing with this important issue in Australia today.

Nicola Roxon (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What about our private member’s bill?

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The honourable member for Gellibrand will remove herself from the House under standing order 94(a).

The member for Gellibrand then left the chamber.

Philip Ruddock (Berowra, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This happened despite the fact that the Labor Party took every step that it could. At that time, the shadow minister for homeland affairs said:

... we will be pressing ahead in the Senate with our proposals to remove the sedition laws from this legislation ...

Now, five months later, it appears that Labor has had a change of heart, because the shadow Attorney, speaking to Steve Price in Sydney last week on radio, had this to say:

If you cross the line of encouraging others to commit acts of violence, you should be able to say that that is unlawful. That’s inciting violence and it should be contrary to our laws.

This is precisely what the government acted on last year, and the Labor Party ran a dishonest scare campaign in relation to that matter. This is another example of the Labor Party wanting to walk both sides of the street when they test the political waters.