Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Hansard source

The government will not be supporting the suspension motion today. I will speak to the suspension before getting to the substance. The government does not support the approach that the opposition have taken, without notice, to bring forward a bill that was introduced this week—I think yesterday—by Senator Cash and for it to now take precedence over all other business. It hasn't been through any process of scrutiny. It hasn't had any opportunity for consultation. The opposition have a spot next week for private senators' bills. They haven't even listed this for that; they've listed another bill. I think that goes to the credibility about the seriousness with which they want this matter dealt with.

Senators know that the government has been working on matters relating to the prohibition of Nazi symbols for some time, and I think we can all stand in this place and say there is no place in Australian society for public displays of Nazi symbols or the Nazi salute. But I think we should also acknowledge that this is a complex area of law, and any move to ban Nazi symbols deserves serious consideration—more than an overnight drafting job with which the Senate has not been given the opportunity to scrutinise or consult on, or, indeed, take through our own processes, which, as people know, is custom and practice in this place. There are many questions about the opposition's proposal, including what head of constitutional power it purports to rely on. This is serious work that needs to be done. It deserves a serious approach. The Senate should enforce that today by not allowing the bringing on of this bill, including, I note, being allowed to debate for two hours and then the guillotine being put. That's not really an approach that the Senate would normally take without consultation across the chamber and, indeed, through our processes.

On the substance of the bill that the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate wants to move: let's not forget that last weekend in Victoria a member of the Victorian Liberal Party attended a rally where Nazi symbols and the Nazi salute were displayed. Let's not forget that. The Leader of the Opposition in Victoria moved immediately to expel that member from the Liberal Party, decisively and quickly, and yet, despite the grandstanding that we're hearing from Senator Birmingham this morning about all moving with a united and strong voice, where is the condemnation of that? Where is that? Why is the trans community being used as a political punching bag for other motivations? Where is the condemnation of that?