Darren Chester (Gippsland, National Party, Shadow Minister for Regional Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There were disgraceful scenes on the streets of Melbourne yesterday where rioters pelted Victoria Police with rocks, with horse manure and with acid, and this must be condemned by all Australians. Victoria Police serve under the motto of 'Uphold the right.' That means to support and maintain law and order, and to help set standards of behaviour that all normal people expect in a peaceful society. Victoria Police's role is to ensure a safe, secure an orderly society by serving the community and upholding the law.

I stand with Victoria Police. Turning the streets of Melbourne into a battle zone was the outcome the extremists wanted, but they won't win the war against our democracy if we remain united against these anarchists. I stand with Victoria Police and I condemn the rioters for their actions in Melbourne yesterday. Claiming to be anti-war campaigners and then violently protesting against a defence convention—the hypocrisy of those thugs and cowards needs to be called out in this place and in the state parliament. Victoria Police have every right to counter their attack with reasonable force. It seems all sides of politics agree with me, except the Greens. One Greens MP actually attended yesterday's protests, and there hasn't been a word of criticism of the rioter's actions by either the state leader or the federal leader of the Greens. It's no surprise that the Greens' response to yesterday's violence was to call for an investigation into Victoria Police's handling of the incident. I stand with Victoria Police.