Guy Barnett (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

And where you can pick them up and where you can drop them off, as Senator Joyce says. Exactly; this is the long hand of the law, as long as ‘long’ could be in accordance with Senator Brown.

Unfortunately I do not have a lot of time today to respond to the allegations and the views of Senator Brown and the Australian Greens, but I am heartened to some degree by the strong opposition in the Senate to this vilification motion by Senator Brown. The Greens say this is all about transparency and if they have got nothing to hide then they have nothing to fear. What they are doing is setting up a register of Exclusive Brethren workplaces, and as I say that principle can be extended. This is an attack on free speech. It is an attack on the freedom of association; it is an attack on freedom. It is a limitation and restriction on freedom in this country.

Why is it only the Exclusive Brethren? What about another church group? What about the Roman Catholics? What about the Anglicans? What about the Baptists? I go to a Baptist Church; what happens if from time to time the Baptist Church expresses views that I or the government do not agree with? Why shouldn’t they be on some sort of register? It is not uncommon; in fact, a week would not go by without a particular church having a view different from that of the government of the day. Of course that occurs, so why shouldn’t they be on a register? Why shouldn’t there be a register of people in that church and their workplaces, their homes, their businesses and the schools their kids attend? I find it appalling.

This all relates to the difference of views. We live in Australia, where you have the opportunity to express a view contrary to another, and isn’t that fantastic? We can come in freedom to debate, disagree and fight to the end; we have that opportunity to disagree. That is what this is about. I happen to be a member of the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee, and Senator Brown wants to send this to the Community Affairs References Committee. I find that an appalling proposition. This Senate is the bastion of free speech. Here we are having a debate on such a matter, and there is the freedom of opportunity to pursue our views and to express them in disagreement with others.

I would call the Senator Brown motion a McCarthy style witch-hunt against whoever disagrees with the Greens. That is essentially what he is wanting to set up. It is about religious freedom. I want to bring out the evidence; I say to Senator Brown, ‘Where is it?’ If there is a religious group that does not like the Greens—let’s make it clear—I assume it then follows that the Greens will pursue that religious group and attempt to stifle them under the protection of parliament. Under the protection of parliamentary privilege you will have the opportunity to say whatever you will to disparage the good name and reputation of the people you wish.

I find that behaviour dishonourable and offensive to the Australian people and to the values we uphold in this country. I want to stand with people who are so disparaged and say, ‘I empathise with you and I am sorry that this has come to the point where you have been vilified and attacked in such an offensive way.’ In this country the Australian Greens have the right to campaign openly and publicly against the Exclusive Brethren or whoever opposes their point of view. Isn’t it wonderful that they have that opportunity? But to have this attack, this vilification, against the Exclusive Brethren I find is way over the top.

My final point is in respect to the establishing of a register of Exclusive Brethren workplaces. That is very similar to the anti-Jewish Nazi Germany situation. I make that clear; that is how I see it. That is what happened in and around that time—particular groups were targeted. There were scapegoats. That is exactly what happened in and around the time of Nazi Germany. I see this effort by the Australian Greens to go down this track as a very dishonourable approach. I hope that, when you look at the arguments that have been put towards you and have been put in this place, you will reflect on what happened in the time of Nazi Germany, you will reflect on the arguments that you have put and the arguments against, and you will, indeed, apologise to the people that you have showed such disrespect to. I hope that you will say, ‘I regret that I put forward this motion,’ and you will apologise for what you have done. I hope that the Senate, in a most resounding way, defeats this motion in no uncertain terms.