Nick McKim (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

As Senator Collins observed, the terms in which the Labor Party opposes schedule 1 is identical to terms that had been flagged and circulated by the Australian Greens and, for that matter, are identical word for word to terms that had been flagged and circulated by Senator Griff on behalf of the Nick Xenophon Team. This is the crux of the sad, sordid and sorry debate that has been going on in this country for far too long about section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act. This is the Senate's opportunity to do the right thing. This is the Senate's opportunity to show that collectively we have listened to multicultural Australia and heard the abundant evidence given by multicultural Australia to the human rights committee, which conducted an exhaustive inquiry into section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act. This is the Senate's opportunity to demonstrate that it has listened loud and clear to the people who have had the courage to stand up and talk about the racism that they have faced in this country. This is the Senate's opportunity, finally, to do the right thing and to end the push, at least for now, to change 18C in any way. This is the Senate's opportunity to stand up and say, 'We collectively refuse to take action that will make it easier to be racist in Australia.'

Make no mistake: no matter what the intent and the motivation of people calling for this change—and I am happy to say I do not think everyone calling for this change genuinely wanted to make it easier to be a racist in Australia, although I am also happy to say I think some did genuinely want to make it easier to be a racist in Australia—the effect of weakening 18C would have been to send a message out into the Australian community that it is now easier to say racist things and be racist in Australia. That is a message that we cannot afford. There would never be a good time to make it easier to be a racist in Australia, but now would have been the worst time of all to make that change.

So the Greens will proudly support this change—alongside the Australian Labor party and the Nick Xenophon Team and potentially alongside others, although they can, of course, speak for themselves—because we want to show that we have listened and that we are standing up for the magnificent, rich tapestry that is multicultural Australia—that tapestry that has underwoven so many beautiful and brilliant things in our community. It is a tapestry that has been a foundation for so much of the infrastructure that has been built in this country. It is a tapestry that enriches the life of every Australian. We so strongly support multiculturalism. It is a fundamental of the Australian way of life. In supporting this change, we will go proudly on the record as supporting those beautiful things and defending the protections that exist in current Australian law against racism.

The Senate trans cript was published up to 22:15 . The remainder of the transcript will be published progressively as it is completed.