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

The less said about the most recent contribution the better. I'll just give a bit of history on this code of conduct motion. We introduced a code of conduct motion back in 2017 when a senator wore a burqa into the Senate. That code of conduct was referred to the Procedure Committee in December 2017, and the recommendation back from the Procedure Committee was that voluntary codes should be adopted by each party. We reject that. The Australian Greens believe there should be a compulsory code of conduct for all of us to support. I introduced a code of conduct motion back in 2018 in response to a previous senator talking about the 'final solution'. The reality is that the status quo is not working. We're continuing to see statements that are sexist and racist. We are continuing the see statements that are anti-Semitic. This is a workplace for many people. The current situation is not working. To defer this to the Procedure Committee is to say no to a compulsory code of conduct. We believe the parliament needs one. (Time expired)