Janet Rice (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak about the recent US elections and their implications for Australia and for global democracy. The American people have spoken. Trump has lost. Democracy has won. Trump has been a singularly dangerous president. He is a fascist, a liar, a cheat, an incompetent and a white supremacist, and his defeat is a victory for us all. Joe Biden has won the presidency. Senator Kamala Harris has been elected vice president, and, while her record on racial and social justice warrants strong criticism, her election is historic and should be celebrated for all it represents. Harris is not only the first woman but the first black woman and the first South Asian woman to be elected vice president.

That somebody like Kamala Harris could become vice president in this time of extreme systemic racism and white hostility matters. Representation matters. That black and brown children across America can see themselves in her matters. It has taken almost 100 years, since American women won their right to vote, to see a woman in the second-highest office in America, and finally achieving that deserves celebration. Biden and Harris are far from perfect, of course, and there's still plenty of work to do for progressives in the US to undo all the chaos of the last four years and many years before that. It would be easy to place all the blame for the hatred and inequality on Trump's shoulders, but his presidency was a product of these things, not the cause of them. It was fuel for those things, not the cause.

The challenges America faces are systemic, institutional and cultural, but this is the first step on a road to a better America and to better global politics, and it starts with the rejection of Donald Trump and everything he stands for. This is a time for cautious optimism and to celebrate this win and the repudiation of the politics of hate. This is a win for antiracism and anti-authoritarianism. It's a win for science and a win in the fight against the global climate emergency. It's a win for women, people of colour, immigrants and LGBTIQ+ people, who have seen their rights attacked and eroded over the last four years. All of these wins have come on the back of the grassroots organising power of thousands of progressive activists, unions and civil rights groups who have been working tirelessly to achieve these changes.

I think there are two key lessons that Australia can draw out of this victory. The first is that progressivism is popular, but it must be fought for. As Representative Ilhan Omar said, you get what you organise for, and organise they did. Progressives delivered victories to Democrats all across the country. It is the black, brown, migrant and young movement builders who have been campaigning for justice and equality for decades who drove swings in the vote in Arizona, Nevada, Georgia, Michigan and Minnesota. Every House Democrat who endorsed Medicare for all won re-election or is on track to win, and, of the 93 co-sponsors of the Green New Deal who ran for re-election, all but two won. Take note, Australia! As Bernie Sanders noted today, Florida passed a $15 minimum wage; Montana, South Dakota, Arizona and New Jersey legalised marijuana; Colorado passed 12 weeks of paid family leave; Arizona increased taxes on the rich to fund education; and all over America voters approved a progressive agenda.

Progressive ideas are popular. That's why we've seen progressive wins in New Zealand, in the ACT, in Queensland, in the US and in our record-breaking Greens wins in local government in my home state of Victoria. Progressive ideas are popular, and we should be learning that lesson here in Australia. The majority of Australians want to see strong action on our climate emergency. They want JobSeeker to remain above the poverty line. They want big corporations and the megarich to pay their fair share of taxes. They're sick of trickle-down economics and they want the government to directly invest in creating jobs and in essential services. So to all the progressive activists here in Australia: don't stop fighting for the country we want to see, because the people of Australia are with you.

The second lesson we must heed from the US election is that democracy must not be taken for granted. Your vote matters. Democracy matters. Here in Australia, our democratic institutions are relatively strong. We should be thankful for compulsory and preferential voting. These institutions mostly insulate Australia against the kind of extreme partisanship that we see in America today. However, we know from our own recent history that we are not immune from right-wing populism, from fascist infiltration and from the politics of hate. We need only look to the likes of Tony Abbott, Pauline Hanson, Fraser Anning and George Christensen to know that we must keep fighting to protect what is sacred to our democracy. These are hard-won institutions that the divisive and the power hungry will seek to destroy in the furthering of their own political ambitions, and they must be defended at every turn. Part of this is to defend global democracy.

As a country with strong democratic processes and values, Australia must be a public defender of democracy on the world stage, and we must use her voice to speak out against those who try to destroy it. If Trump and the Republicans continue their craven descent into conspiracy, lies and lawlessness, and continue to undermine the voices of the American people as we near 20 January, Australia faces no choice but to speak out. If America's institutions do not work themselves out, as Scott Morrison hopes, it will fall to the international community to condemn Trump and his illegitimate presidency. Australia must remain a voice for democracy and fairness on the world stage, and fight for the values we believe in.

But, as we celebrate the defeat of one fascist, we must also remember that many activists in countries right around the world face threats to their human rights. As part of that, we must work to recognise and respond to the unique needs of diaspora communities here in Australia. I recently heard important evidence from a number of diaspora groups in Australia as part of the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee inquiry. In Cambodia, it has been tragic to see how Hun Sen and his government have persecuted their political opposition. This is what Human Rights Watch had to say:

… Prime Minister Hun Sen and the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) have continued to benefit from the unquestioning support of senior officials in the army, gendarmerie, and police to effectively eliminate all political opponents and dissolve the main opposition party, rendering the July 2018 national elections meaningless. Cambodia now has more than 50 political prisoners and dozens of others facing charges.

In the committee, we heard powerful evidence from members of the Cambodian diaspora community, and their submission to our inquiry told us how activists in Cambodia face very real threats:

In Cambodia, political and social activists, trade union leaders, and journalists have been routinely arrested, beaten or murdered in connection with their opposition to ruling party policies and practices.

But what's really chilling is the threats against members of the Cambodian diaspora community here in Australia. The submission to the Senate inquiry highlighted specific threats made against individuals, and they are very concerning. The Greens believe that everyone has the right to a peaceful and safe existence, free from violence, so, when it comes to members of the diaspora communities who are under threat, we must hear and amplify their voices.

Finally, I want to touch upon another diaspora community in Australia that's facing similar challenges, and that's the Filipino community. It has been heartbreaking and tragic to see the challenges faced in the Philippines. There is strong evidence that the Philippines government is responsible for an alarming number of human rights violations, particularly extrajudicial killings, and there are profound concerns about threats labelling individuals as terrorists or communists. Similarly, there are threats to members of the diaspora community here in Australia. This is something that I will be pursuing and I will be urging the government to do likewise, because people deserve to be safe, whether it's in the Philippines, in Cambodia or here in Australia. We must speak up to protect the human rights of people right across the globe.