Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last Friday was the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. In a perfect world, it would only take one day to eliminate racial discrimination. We observe this day on the anniversary of the Sharpeville massacre in South Africa in 1960, when police killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration against apartheid pass laws. John Howard orange-washed this horrendous historical event and turned it into our Harmony Day. Australians now observe this day because we know that racism harms not just the lives of those who experience it but also society as a whole. Despite knowing this, there are times when some politicians just can't help themselves. When somebody shows you who they are, believe them.

What is the purpose of announcing a policy that would allow a different class of Australian citizenship—where, depending on that class of citizenship, one-third of Australians could be removed from this country if they misbehave? What is the purpose of blaming overseas students for the housing shortage, when we know that we all have to build more houses? What is the purpose of exploiting the trauma of an overseas war for domestic political gain? As politicians, we must remember that our words matter. People use the words they hear to justify their own actions—some, unfortunately, are negative.

As we embark on the 2025 federal election campaign, let's remember that, when we give airtime to forces that aim to discriminate or cause division, distrust and intolerance, we all lose. Australia is so much better than that.