Anthony Chisholm (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Education) Share this | Hansard source

This is an important and substantial issue. I too stand with those who have said that there is no place in this country for public displays of Nazi symbols or the Nazi salute, or anti-Semitism as well. But it is for the reason that it is an important and substantial issue that it deserves so much more attention and due process than what the opposition have proposed here today. They introduced the bill into the Senate yesterday, and then they have brought on this stunt today in an attempt to get this debated.

Because it is of such importance, it deserves the full attention of the Senate and for the processes of the Senate to be allowed to deal with this bill appropriately. The opposition have time allocated to them next Thursday to debate and consider private senators' bills of their choosing. My understanding, as I think Senator Gallagher said, is that they haven't indicated that they will use that time for this bill that they are trying to suspend standing orders to debate today. So you do have to wonder what was the sudden motivation for those opposite to bring this bill on today. It is the fact that there are options available to them on the issues raised by what we saw on the steps of the Victorian parliament last week. They can show leadership or they can pursue stunts in this chamber, like they did in the House of Representatives. It is disappointing that the federal Liberals have chosen stunts over substance and showing leadership. That is what they are doing here today by pursuing this and unleashing this debate.

When you compare the actions of Mr Pesutto, the Victorian Liberal leader, who was prepared to take a stand and say he didn't want this person in his parliamentary team, with what the federal Liberals have chosen to do this week, there is a real contrast. We have an opposition that, 10 months ago, concluded 10 years in government. They had 10 years to take action and legislate on something like this, yet all of a sudden, this week, we see a stunt in the House of Representatives. We now see a stunt in the Senate as well, on a day, as Senator Hanson said, that everyone knew had been set aside to discuss government business, so you do have to question their motivation.

You also have to question the lack of leadership from the federal Liberals. We know some senators have been out there criticising Mr Pesutto for the stance that he took. Instead of backing Mr Pesutto, the federal Liberals have chosen stunts over substance and showing leadership. That's what they are doing in this chamber today. It is right that the Senate opposes this motion. This bill does deserve absolute scrutiny and debate that aren't possible to do in the two hours that this motion allows for, so it is the right thing to oppose it. It is the right thing to get on with government business. It is a shabby way for those opposite to treat such an important issue. It is not appropriate for a party of government to treat such an important issue in such a way that they're prepared to pull a stunt like this instead of showing the leadership that the Victorian Liberal leader did.