Michelle Rowland (Greenway, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Today the Attorney-General has announced that the Abbott government wants to remove important protections against bigotry. Is it the intention of this legislation to allow a person to be verbally attacked, on the basis of their race, on social networking sites?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I accept that this is a very important question, and I will do my best to deal with the question of the member opposite with the respect that it deserves. Of course none of us want to see bigotry.

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question has been asked and the Prime Minister has the call.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The proposed change to section 18C contains a very strong prohibition on racial vilification. It contains a very strong prohibition on inciting racial hatred. It contains a very strong prohibition on any attempt to engage in racial intimidation, as it should. But it also provides for the appropriate protection of free speech. That is not racial abuse. It just means that if we are having a legitimate discussion, as we are entitled to in a free and robust democracy such as ours, then contributions to that discussion will not be proscribed by law. That is the balance that this government is attempting, in good faith, to get right—the important balance between protections, which people are entitled to, and free speech, which people are also entitled to.