Jess Walsh (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Today we asked the government to support a very simple motion: a motion to call on the Prime Minister and all political leaders to condemn, without reservation and without qualification, the threats of violence at recent protests, including in Melbourne. That sounds pretty simple, right? Well, it's not simple for the Morrison government, because this government wouldn't even allow that important motion to be put. On behalf of all Victorians, I have to say that I am completely disgusted by that decision. It's a disgrace that the government would not allow that motion to be put today—that the government wouldn't take the step that was offered to it to offer the leadership that we need for Victoria and for the country to absolutely, unequivocally and without qualification and reservation condemn the violent protests and threats of violence to politicians, to their families and to our democracy. It is a disgrace!

It is Victorians who are seeing the worst of all of this right now. It is Victorians who are experiencing the violent threats and the disgusting actions of these people, who are threatening our democracy in Victoria. Now it seems, unfortunately, that these threats are being spread around the country. In my home state we have seen attacks on essential workers. We have seen nurses who have been trying to vaccinate people spat on. In Melbourne we have seen protests, as Senator Kitching said, at our shrine, and we have seen the shrine desecrated by violent protesters. We have seen protestors out the front of parliament with gallows, with mocked-up nooses, chanting: 'Hang Dan Andrews! Hang Dan Andrews!'

All we were asking for today was for the government to support a motion—to allow it to be moved—calling on the Prime Minister and all political leaders to condemn, without reservation or qualification, these sorts of threats of violence. And they refused. It is a complete disgrace. In Victoria we are seeing not only members of parliament being threatened but also their families. We are seeing death threats to the Premier in Victoria, and now in other states as well. We are seeing these protests spread. We are seeing members of parliament in other states receiving the same threats and needing protection. There were speakers at a rally this weekend claiming that they would go to any lengths necessary to rid our parliament of these 'traitorous politicians'.

This needs to end. This needs to be put to an end now. What we need is for the Prime Minister to stand up. We need the Prime Minister to lead. We need the Prime Minister to get out of the gutter, where he is scrounging around for votes right now, and actually call this behaviour out, from the highest elected office in the land, and to call it out without reservation—to call it out now, to join us on the Labor side and call out this violent behaviour now. But instead of that leadership, we have a prime minister who is actively sowing distrust for political gain. That is what we have in this country right now. He is playing a dangerous game, with dangerous consequences. He is flirting with the violent protesters in Melbourne, and he is doing that with his doublespeak. On one side, he is saying, 'I condemn the protesters.' Then, out of the other side of his mouth, at the same time, he is saying, 'I understand their frustrations; I understand that they think it's time for governments to get out of people's lives.' We need leadership, not doublespeak, from this Prime Minister.

Question agreed to.