Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Hansard source

As I said just before, it's my expectation that the best approach across this parliament and, indeed, across our community is for nobody to engage in politically charged or inflammatory approaches in relation to any of our foreign relations. However, it is also important, as Senator Payne articulated clearly in her response earlier today, that we are a free-speaking democracy with a free media. In a free-speaking democracy with a free media, there will be opinions shared from time to time and points of view made from time to time with which we'll not all agree and with which we may have fundamental disagreements. But the value we place on being able to have those commitments or those statements made is crucial and paramount for, indeed, our approach as a free-speaking democracy with a free media. We will defend those rights all of the time whilst ensuring the government's position in our engagement is always true to those and other values.