Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

We hear a lot about freedom and individual liberties in this place. We hear about how critical they are and how important they are for a democracy such as ours. It is usually from the conservative side of politics. Whenever a reform is introduced that might come up against the notion of freedom and liberty, terms like 'nanny state' are thrown around. We hear it time and time again.

We saw recently the unedifying spectacle of changes to the Racial Discrimination Act—not because of any concern from the community but because of course our friends at the IPA and mates at News Corporation wanted to see changes to our hate speech laws. But that issue was so imp. It was a touchstone issue for the conservative side of politics. It was fundamental to our democracy. We have to protect freedom of speech at every opportunity. We have to make sure that people have the right to say what they think, even if it provides offence to others. This is such a core principle that we are prepared to fight a campaign on an unpopular issue to see this law changed.

But let me tell you a test of principle is not being able to make an argument in a chamber like this when you have not been under pressure. A test of how committed you are to a core principle is whether you can stick by that principle when you are under pressure, when you have your back against the wall. That is a test of principle. And, on that test, this government has comprehensively failed.

This was such a touchstone issue such an important issue for this government that when this Prime Minister found himself under fire found his leadership threatened, where does he go?

He goes into the gutter. What does he pull out of his bag of tricks? Let's start banging the terrorism drum. Let's start talking about those Muslims out there and their hate speech. Let's talk about the importance of sending our troops overseas because we are under threat. Let's stoke fear and division in the community, because now it is not a principle of freedom and liberty—it is a principle of political survival. And political survival will trump everything when it comes to this government.

We had the disgraceful words of the Prime Minister, who, in response to the really difficult issue of terrorism—one that everyone in this place is grappling with—sends a message out to the Islamic community calling them liars, saying that what they need to do is not just say that they are opposed to terrorism but mean it, because the subtext is: 'You don't—you support it and you're stoking it.' How disgraceful. How disgraceful for a Prime Minister, whose job it is to lead this country, to come out and accuse those people, whose sons and daughters are being corrupted by what we are currently seeing and some of whom are leaving their families to combat this extraordinarily despicable war in the Middle East, of contributing to that, of condoning it. What a despicable act from a Prime Minister whose job it should be to unite the community, to provide some calm and reassurance and to bring us together.

Of course, hate speech is now no longer a problem. Ensuring that people have got the ability to express how they feel is no longer a core principle. What is more important is that we crack down on those people who we think are promoting this sort of activity. Do you know why? Because it is okay to be a bigot, but not if you are a Muslim. If you are a Muslim, we have got a different set of laws for you. We have got one set of laws for our mates at News Corp and the IPA, and we have got a different set of laws for those of you who find yourself the target of this government's policy. Principle is not expedient. If you are committed to the principle of free speech, then you stick to that through thick and thin. You stick to it whether your job depends upon it or whether you are sailing well in the polls.

This government has failed that test. It has demonstrated that when it comes to its own political survival it will say or do anything, even if that means going against the very core beliefs that it argued in this place only a short time ago. Either you believe in freedom or you do not. And this government has shown that, when the circumstances change, it too will change on those core beliefs. Freedom and liberty are only something to be supported when the circumstances demand it. (Time expired)