Tim Watts (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Like dogs returning to their vomit, the extreme ideologues of the right-wing of the Liberal Party are at it again trying to gut the Racial Discrimination Act and fighting for the right to be bigots. The Racial Discrimination Act was amended by the Keating government after a number of reports into racially based motivated violence, a royal commission into Aboriginal deaths in custody, the Law Reform Commission's report into multiculturalism and the law and the need to bring our laws into line with international conventions. The result has been one of the most successful multicultural societies in the world.

But this harmony, this success leaves a bad taste in the mouth of some of those opposite. The member for Dawson, in May last year, got up in this federal parliament and declared, 'Multiculturalism has failed,' and somehow implied that an acceptance of multiculturalism in Australia implied that we supported honour killings and female genital mutilation. What a nonsense. He has claimed that Halal certification companies only are linked to terrorist organisations and he has spoken at the ugly and divisive Reclaim Australia rallies. He has made the job of our counter-terrorism officials more difficult by damaging the harmony and unity of our community yet the Prime Minister remains silent. Just like Tony Abbott, he fails to call out the extremists in his own party.

The PM talks a good game on inclusiveness and tolerance but shows his true colours when he fails to condemn members of his own party. He does not lead those opposite; he follows them. And until he calls out the reprehensible, divisive behaviour of those opposite, he can make no claim to leading a united, tolerant multicultural Australia.