Anthony Chisholm (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The opposition will not be supporting this motion from Senator Di Natale. We have made clear our position on the actions of others in this place who have sought to use race as an instrument of division and who have conducted themselves in a way that does not conform with the standards the Australian people expect of us. Labor has led the charge in encouraging parliamentarians to express their support for a voluntary commitment to inclusion and race ethics. The invitation from the Leader of the Opposition to the Prime Minister for government members to join all opposition members in signing this statement remains open.

We welcome the support across the chamber for Senator Wong's motion yesterday. Further, we fully support the comments of the President in his statement to the chamber on Monday this week. Consistent with our past actions and the recommendation of the Senate Standing Committee on Procedure, the opposition does not support the inclusion of a code of conduct in the standing orders of the Senate, recognising that standing orders 193 and 203 already regulate conduct in the chamber.