David Van (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I just wish that those opposite would pay as much attention to the writing of their motions, in their grammar and how they're constructed, as the attention they pay to those in the other place. I would draw the chamber's attention to the nonsensical nature of this motion from Senator Lines. In reading it when I was asked to speak on it, I was shaking my head—in particular, about part B, which just doesn't seem to make any sense. Is Senator Lines meaning that the Morrison government is taking action? Does she mean we are not? I am completely unsure from her motion.

But here we are and we'll talk on it anyway. It's far too often that the Labor Party come into this chamber with nonsensical motions. Each time they do it it just highlights the issues the Labor Party have faced since the Hawke and Keating governments. Clearly, they cannot clarify their own position. What do those opposite stand for? I really struggle to know. There is a reason that the Labor Party is stuck in opposition, and this motion is a clear example of that problem. They can't articulate a message and they can't get the basics right. Once you start getting the basics right then maybe you can start thinking about the bigger picture, like who your leader is. But until then I suggest they stop thinking and talking about themselves and who is going to be the next Leader of the Opposition. And they should focus on reading their motions before they table them for debate.

For those Australians listening and watching today's debate, unsure of what that motion is trying to say, I'll try to clarify that for you. The fact is that the Morrison government is taking action to combat the spread of far-Right extremism and destructive conspiracy theories. I do think it is fair and right that I speak on this motion today as multiculturalism is an area that I'm deeply involved with and passionate about. Over the past 18 months, since I've been in this place, I've sought to create closer ties across all communities in Australia, and in particular with many multicultural communities. I've done this through hosting a quarterly roundtable with the Consular Court in Victoria to hear of the problems the diaspora is facing and the challenges that they've had, especially during COVID, and what we as a government can do to assist.

At the start of the COVID pandemic there were experiences of racism in my home state, and I used this place to call out that racism and to encourage greater dialogue. During a speech I gave in here, I said:

It troubles me that I could spend this entire time listing instances of racism that have occurred in my home state over the past month. My heart breaks when I put myself in the shoes of those facing these attacks, to imagine what they would be feeling and what they are going through. It is just unfathomable to me, yet it has become the reality for some.

On the back of that speech, I wrote, and had published, opinion pieces in major newspapers in Singapore and Malaysia. I worked closely with some of the consuls general in Victoria, particularly those of China, Malaysia and Indonesia, about the racism that was experienced.

But we see extremism in many, many forms. And I hope it is accepted by this place that over the past 18 month or so that I've been in the Senate I've shown my commitment to calling out bigotry, vilification and extremism wherever I see it. But extremism isn't just an issue when it comes to the right wing of politics and it isn't just an issue when it comes to the left wing. Extremism is dangerous in all its forms. In one of the committees I was on, we were calling out the danger of the extremism of the animal welfare sector. So, it has many, many forms.

More troublingly, extremism erodes our public social cohesion. In November last year the secretary of the Department of Home Affairs—that's the portfolio that Minister Dutton, named in the motion, is the minister for—Michael Pezzullo, gave a speech to the Institute of Public Administration Australia titled 'On unity: the elements of social cohesion'. I would recommend to all my colleagues in this place that they take the time to read, watch or listen to that speech. It is incredibly powerful stuff. In the speech the secretary outlines how much Australia is actually a socially cohesive nation and community. He argues that throughout 2020 as a nation we showed this cohesion through our actions, through the bushfires and through the pandemic. I think everyone in here would agree with me that that's actually what happened.

Unfortunately, there are people who want to divide us, separate us and tell us that extremism, whether from the Right or from the Left, is growing substantively, that as a community we are less cohesive and more divided than ever before. And I couldn't disagree more with this. As Mr Pezzullo said in his speech,

Today, societies generally are more socially cohesive and economically stable as compared with Europe in the 1920s and 1930s. Then we saw fracturing at the heart of European civilisation, and the rise of Fascism and Nazism. The latter was the most monstrous tyranny that has ever darkened this world. It abused the notion of a ‘united’ Germany, and twisted it into an evil dictatorship which generated its malign power from oppression at large, and the specific, targeted brutalisation of fellow Germans and others who in the most horrendous case of 'the Final Solution' were deemed not to be human – and fit only for the unspeakable horror of the gas chambers. We must never forget. We are not today remotely close to that state of affairs.

And as the partner of a Jewish woman, I know and live with the history of what extremism can do to a society—that is, real division, real breakdown of social cohesiveness.

This does not mean that we don't take increases in extremism seriously. We do. Just this week Mr Pezzullo, if I can quote him again, warned that the threat posed by violent right-wing extremists is no different to that posed by Islamic terrorists. Those opposite have correctly said that right-wing extremism is on the rise. There is no doubt. But we do have to remember that this is starting from a very, very low base. That does not mean, however, that we do not investigate, track and try to break up any extremist groups before they do harm. We should also not overexaggerate the risks it would cause unneeded harm to ourselves. The Morrison government is absolutely committed to protecting our nation from all threats, and over the years we've shown our commitment to doing just that. As a government we make no distinction in targeting threats to the Australian community. Our laws are agnostic. They focus on threat and criminality irrespective of motivation or ideology. Australians from all walks of life should have confidence that Australia's counterterrorism arrangements are working well to protect the community from all violent extremism.

To ensure this, the Morrison government in the 2019-20 budget provided an additional $571 million over five years to our security agencies to keep Australians safe. Funding for ASIO is the highest it's been in its more than 70-year history, and the AFP has received an additional $300 million over four years to enhance its ability to respond to emerging threats. These are not just words; instead this is real action and real support from the Morrison government enabling our security agencies to continue to do the fantastic job they're doing in protecting us. I just want to take a moment to thank all the hardworking and dedicated members of our national security agencies. You all do exceptional work.

There is no doubt we are a lucky country, but that doesn't just come by chance. It comes from our continued hard work, our shared values and our democratic stability. We are the greatest multicultural society in the world and we should be proud of that. All people in Australia, whether you arrived here recently or your family have walked these lands since time immemorial, should never have to accept aggressive acts towards them, and I utterly condemn all forms of extremism and racism behaviours against people in Australia. All Australians are currently facing the common challenge of COVID-19 and only together can we get through that.